Edward Bone and the Black Bandit
by Eagleh-sama
Summary: Edward Bone is an Animator - he can bring drawings from paper to life. But Edward is to busy with his own life to continue the struggle of the Endowed. And now someone is stealing from all the shops in town - someone who can control shadows. NEXT GEN.
1. The Endowed

**_Disclaimer; _**I do not own Charlie Bone, Jenny Nimmo does, but I do own these characters and their respective endowments. So if I see an Edward Bone, I won't be upset, and if I see someone who can Animate, I won't be upset - it's if I see these two together that I know you've copied me.

* * *

_**The More Important Characters**_

Bloor's academy plays host to many strange characters with the different talents, whether they be endowments or a strange profiency in an art. There are too many characters to name in the school, so only the more important ones will be mentioned here.

* * *

**The Endowed.**

Descended from the Red King, these children have strange endowments. Their ancestors have been fighting for years and years without stopping, every since the original ten children began to wage war. Some of the children are evil and fight to rule. Others believe in freedom. Bloors Academy is run by Manfred Bloor, who has the power to burn with fire. He is trying to turn all of the children onto his side, yet his father Harold, who still has some power, insists that even the children who are against them must be monitered inside the school. Now the friends fight for their lives. Twenty-some years ago, Charlie Bone and his friends fought for justice against Manfred and his followers. And now the fight has been continued on to the next generation.

**The Good**:

Edward Bone-

Age: 14

Form: 4

Descended from Amoret, Edward is an animator. He has the ability to bring things on paper to life, down to the very last detail. He is a Music student and plays the saxophone. His parents are Charlie and Olivia Bone.

Caitlyn Sage-

Age: 14

Form: 4

Caitlyn is flamboyant in every single way. She is a skilled illusionist (so she must be descended from Guanhamara as well), and she is also in drama. She isn't a very serious person. Her parents are Lysander and Lauren Sage.

Gemma Torsson-

Age: 14

Form: 4

Gemma can fly. She draws detailed birds in her sketchbooks and can transform into them at will. Thanks to her father's talent, she is impervious to weather. Like her parents Emma Tolly and Tancred Torsson, Gemma is in art.

Owen Raven-

Age: 13

Form: 3

Owen has black hair and unusual pink eyes. He can talk to animals, and he is always seen carrying a raven on his shoulder. He is in Music for playing the flute, and his parents are Billy Raven and Emily Sprung.

Kai Brown-

Age: 15

Form: 5

Kai has the ability to become invisible. His father Benjamin Brown didn't go to Bloors, but his mother Una Brown was in drama. Unlike her, Kai is in Art and likes to carve. He is very quiet and soft-spoken.

**The Bad:**

Patrick Bloor-

Age: 16

Form: 6

Patrick is descended from Borlath, the most cruel of the Red King's children. His parents are Manfred Bloor and Zelda Dobinski. Like his father, he has the ability to burn with fire. He is in drama and enjoys playing villains.

Jenna Tilpin-

Age: 13

Form: 3

Jenna is small and scrawny. She is in Art, and her parents are Joshua Tilpin and Idith Branko. She is telekinetic. She prefers to paint as her medium of expression.

Jacob Tilpin-

Age: 13

Form: 3

Jacob is small and cheerful with a head of bushy hair. His parents are Joshua Tilpin and Idith Branko. Unlike his sister, Jacob is in Drama and his power is magnetism.

Dominic Silk-

Age: 16

Form: 6

Dom is moody and grumpy. His parents are Gabriel and Cara Silk. After Gabriel's death, he began to work for the Bloors. He has the ability to find any person if he touches their clothing. He is in Music and plays the piano.

Audrey Endless-

Age: 15

Form: 5

Audrey is a girl with chilling glances. Her father is Dagbert Endless and her mother is unknown. She has the power to drown people, and is in Music with the clarinet.

Tristan Calling-

Age: 14

Form: 4

Tristan's endowment and parents are unknown. Some say he is the son of Asa Pike, others say he is a Loom child. He has fiery orange hair and a bitter attitude. He is in Art and draws pictures of strange beasts and worlds.

**Other Characters:**

These characters have no endowments, but they still attend Bloors for the arts. They have sides as well, depending on their friends, and they are prepared to fight for the principles they believe in. They are considered allies of the Endowed.

* * *

Liam Gunn-

Age: 14

Form: 4

Like his father Fidelio and his mother Kylie, Liam is a brilliant musician. He is great friends with Edward and plays the cello.

Autumn Wind-

Age: 15

Form: 5

A mysterious girl with flowing orange hair, Autumn is in drama. She appears to be a friend, but most of her history is unknown.

Haley Yewbeam-

Age: 15

Form: 5

Haley is the child of Paton Yewbeam and Julia Ingledew. At this point, he is unendowed. He is very close to his relative Edward and also to his best friend Kai. He is in drama.

Cameron Loom-

Age: 14

Form: 4

The son of one of Dorcas' brothers (Gregory Loom) and his wife Sharon, Cameron likes large animals and is pretty much a vandal. He is in art and works with pastels.

Leah O'Donald-

Age: 12

Form: 2

A young Scottish girl, she is in art. She enjoys painting with vivid colours. Her hair is long and blond, and her parents are Jake and Miranda O'Donald. She is friendly to both sides.

**A/N: Should I be captilizing Endowed or not? Endowed or endowed?**

**You likey? :) Good, reivew more, and you shall recieve a Haley Yewbeam plushie.**


	2. The girl from the sea

"Edward Bone! You're going to miss the bus!" Edward blinked sleep from his eyes and mumbled drowsily as his mother's words reached his words. He sighed and stretched, sitting up in bed. Eyes now fully wide open, he turned to look at the clock – and nearly fainted. He had seven minutes to make it downstairs before the bus came and went. Rapidly brushing his teeth, the fourteen-year-old only had a few seconds to fix his appearance. Dabbing cream on a minor burst of acne and patting down his curly blond hair. Green eyes stared back at him from the mirror. He sighed and threw down the toothbrush, darting downstairs in his white shirt and blue tie. Hastily throwing on a cape, he grabbed a slice of toast that his mum had buttered for him, stuffed it in his mouth and ran out the door of number 9 Filbert Street.

Even though his dad had moved as a child to a house belonging to his father, Lyell Bone, they had moved back after a devastating fire had destroyed the house. The whole family had decided that number 9 was probably much safer. At least that's what he had been told, Edward reflected as he grabbed a handrail and pulled himself onto the bus just in time. He down tiredly beside his friend Liam Gunn, who was also in music with the cello. Edward, though he was admittedly better than his father, wasn't exactly what one would call good at music. He was passable with a saxophone. The reason that Edward even went to Bloors was that he was endowed – he had been going to Bloors for the past three years and had been identified as endowed from the very beginning. He was an Animator, meaning he had the ability to bring drawn things to life. Ed's father had always told him to use his talent well, but there was never any conflict. There was a noticeable tension in the King's Room, but nothing had happened. Yet, Charlie would always add. He was sure that something would eventually happen. Edward really didn't care.

"Start of a new year," Liam sighed, still looking out the window. Edward was relieved to see that his friend still had the same messy hairdo he kept swearing that he would fix. Unlike Edward, Liam didn't have an endowment. Instead, he had a sister called Felicity. Felicity certainly wasn't as good as an endowment in anyway. She didn't go the Bloors, but apparently she was always causing the family trouble. Sometimes Ed wished that Liam was endowed, but he knew that Liam's lineage was straight and pure – no hint of the Red King in it.

"Seen Caitlyn since last Thursday?" The music student asked somewhat tentatively. Edward zoomed back into reality, somewhat embarrassed to have left his friend waiting so long. The hint of a smile grazed his face. Liam was always asking about Caitlyn, and Edward was forced to reply (not without a roll of his eyes) that no, he hadn't seen Caitlyn since last Thursday.

Over the summer, the group of friends – that was, the Endowed students referred to as "good" and their friends, would meet constantly in the Pets Café. It was a café run by his father's good friend, Benjamin, and Benjamin's wife, Una. The single rule in the Café was "No Pet, No Entry"

Thursday had been the last time the group of friends had met, as the weekend was rushed with packing and getting ready for the new school year. Even the sun had gone away, to be replaced by drifts of clouds and only a scrap of blue sky to be seen. But Monday had arrived eventually, and the sun had come with it. It was too bad that everyone who had so fervently waited for it was going to shut up in a gloomy old Academy. The light from the aforementioned sun shone in through the clear bus windows. Ed closed his eyes against the rays and lay back on the seat, trying to catch up on the sleep he had missed. The bus stopped suddenly, and Edward tapped his friend softly on the shoulder. Liam looked over at the dozing boy with a grin that was visible through a crack in Edward's eye. The flax-haired boy shook his head to show they weren't at Bloor's, but then frowned, "There's never been a stop here before."

Edward was wide awake with that. A shiver ran down his spine. He didn't know why, but it felt like something was finally going to be happening at Bloor's. Something that the first three forms had been missing. Some action, some adventure. He sat straight up and peered at the opening bus door, much to Liam's confusion. The scrawny fellow poked his friend, "What is it?"

A girl entered, wearing the blue uniform required by music students. She was tall and skinny, and long dirty-blond hair fell from her head. It couldn't be described as straight, nor could it be described as curly. It looked astounding, and it took Edward's breath away. He could gape in wonder. Her blue skirts flittered around her smooth legs, showing perfectly formed legs. Her face wasn't too narrow or too round. It was a perfect size, and completely void of freckles. Her mouth was set in a smirk that was in between an angel and the Mona Lisa. Her nose was small and round and fit perfectly around her face. Woah, Edward thought suddenly, what a perfect person. Last of all, he found himself gazing into her eyes. They were a steely grey with only a hint of green. Seaweed green, he remarked with a shiver.

"Who's she?" Asked Liam, unable to stay quiet any longer. Edward could only shrug helplessly as he watched the girl parade down the aisle and seat herself beside Dominic, two seats down and across the aisle from the two boys. Immediately, Edward stiffened. She was one of _them_. One of those known as "evil" to Edward and his friends. The ones he was always aware of, across the table from him. Quickly, he did the math in his head. They would have six, and Edward- Edward and his friends would only be five. The balance was shifting.

Dominic Silk had been one of Edward's friends in the first year. Their parents had gone to school together. But ever since Gabriel Silk, who had the ability to feel emotions through clothing, had died in a suspicious car crash, Dominic had been manipulated and twisted by the Bloors. He still lived with his mother, Cara, but she was a rotten apple if Edward had ever seen one. Dominic had inherited his father's gift in a way. Instead of being able to feel emotions, he was able to find someone instantly if he touched their clothing. When he was talked about in hushed whispers, whenever he told someone what he did – the effect was always chilling. Edward still had the memory of Dom's dark voice in his head, 'I find people,' Dominic had said, like he was stating the weather. It wasn't a memory he liked very much. Ed could also remember his father's voice, after Charlie had learned the news about Gabriel and Dominic's switching of sides. It had been calm but concerned. Deeply concerned. If Edward remembered correctly – and he didn't know if he would ever be able to forget this – Charlie (That's what he called his father, by Charlie's wishes) had said, 'We've lost one, Ed. We've lost one. You can't lose anymore.' Edward had agreed, but he didn't really understand.

But now he did. The balance was shifting. Soon they would be overpowered. He stared at the strange girl, who stared back at him and waved cheerily with her sharp eyes. The smile didn't extend past the corners of her mouth.

Edward clutched his arm and gasped softly. He needed to talk to someone who was endowed. He needed to talk to Kai. Kai was Benjamin's son, and he had inherited Una's ability to make himself invisible. Kai was a year older then Edward, and a good person to have in a crisis. He was thoughtful and intelligent. He and Edward were almost as close as Edward and Liam, yet Edward would trust Kai more in a situation like this, if only because Kai had more experience. His arm throbbed again, like it was carrying poison throughout his body. It would go away soon, he knew. Edward sometimes wondered if all endowed children on his side would feel that – the sense of loss.

--

Olivia Bone was standing in the kitchen of number nine Filbert Street, flipping a pancake over the stove. She had been home most of the summer after shooting for a film she was in had finished and she was preparing for another film in the fall. As she cooked, she could hear the contented snores of her husband, Charlie, as in lay in bed. He was a lazy layabout, she smiled to herself. But she loved him. He and Edward were her world. She watched leaves flutter about outside the window. It was warm, but considerably less warm than the week before. A sizzle from the grill attracted her attention, and she put the pancake from the stove onto a plate. That made a huge pile that she knew she and Charlie would eat over the week. Setting up the table with the two plates for her and her husband, she called, "Charlie! Breakfast!"

A mumbled snore came from the upstairs bedroom, followed by spluttering, and eventually a cheerful voice, laden with sleep, called back down, "Just a moment. Let me get dressed!"

A second later, Olivia heard more snores. She rolled her eyes - Charlie had fallen back asleep. The big lunk. She would call him again in a few minutes. Turning, Olivia looked out the window, expecting to see birds fluttering. Everyday she looked out the window, hoping that one of the birds was her friend Emma Tolly-Torsson. Shortly after Emma, who had been Olivia's best school friend, had given birth to her child Gemma, she had disappeared. Tancred had been devastated beyond belief. The Bloors, as usual, had refused to make any comment. The speculation was that Emma had turned into a bird and had not been able to turn back. Charlie's father, Lyell, had also disappeared when Charlie was a child. But Lyell had been hypnotised, and Olivia didn't know of any current hypnotisers. Manfred had lost that talent and gained the ability to burn with fire. His son Patrick also had that endowment. Tancred and Lysander, Caitlyn's father, were trying to figure out if anyone had the ability to affect another endowment.

So she looked out the window expecting to see birds. She saw something else entirely. A young boy stood on the sidewalk, burning. He was screaming in pain. His arms and legs were on fire. Olivia would have rushed out there and then to help the child, but something stopped her. The boy's mouth was open at an unimaginable angle. His head was twisted so far he surely couldn't be real. A bug crawled up his arm, going under his white shirt. A bulge on his chest showed the insect's progress. It came up his neck and force ditself into his mouth. The boy cried out again, the fire devouring him. Olivia blinked and remembered to breath. But after she opened her eyes again, the boy was gone. She rushed to the front door and opened it, looking out. There were no scorchmarks or any indication that it had happened. Had it been an illusion? No, Olivia was an illusionist herself, and could feel that it wasn't an illusion. Suddenly, a white-hot flash ran up her arm. She gritted her teeth against the pain. It had vanished, but she knew what it was. Quick as a flash, she was back inside, screaming, "Charlie! Charlie! Wake up!"

* * *

**A/N; I wanted to make it longer but I don't want to bore you guys ;-; So what was supposed to be the second half of this will be the next chapter, alright?**

**Thanks for the reviews. Two per chapter is a lot for Charlie Bone fics, apparently. Huzzah! So:**

**Sapphire - you get a Liam Gunn plushie that looks at you with wide eyes.**

**Jelly - you get a Audrey Endless plushie that tosses it's hair around.**

**So review some more :)**

**This is amazingly fun to write. I hope you enjoyed it so far. Be prepared from lengthy notes at the end of chapters.**


	3. The boy and his raven

**The boy and his raven**

The bus pulled to a stop infront of looming iron gates. Edward didn't even notice at the sudden change. He was to transfixed, staring at the new music student. _Who was she? What was her power? _She hadn't said anything, but Ed could tell she was endowed nonetheless. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember the stop where she got on. Hah, like he could ever forget. It had been in a crowded area, with townhouses. The street had been nice and bright. The girl's house had been slightly dark, and it had smelled ... slightly odd. Only a little, but Edward remembered a drift of something reaching his nose. He wrinkled his nose, trying to figure it out. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel the girl smirking at him from across the aisle.

Roused by a touch to his shoulder from Liam, Edward opened his eyes to find everyone disembarking from the bus. Sighing, he swung down the steps using the handrail to land on the curb. Followed by Liam he walked into the courtyard, passing underneath the large shadow that gave him chills everytime. Since it was the first day of the term, they still had a few minutes to get to Assembly. The blond-haired boy trudged up the stairs, but before he entered the doors, he turned to look for his friends. Liam started to scramble up next to him, but turned and exclaimed, "Caitlyn!"

Caitlyn, followed by Haley, walked over to them. Caitlyn had a mocha skintone, and long hazelnut curls fell around her face. Her eyes were a chestnut brown and when she smiled, it seemed to light up the world. She was the son of Lysander and Lauren Sage. Lysander had the power to call up his spirit ancestors, and Lauren was simply normal. Caitlyn hadn't inherited either of their talents. Instead, she was an illusionist like Edward's mother Olivia. It was a little odd to look at Caitlyn and think that they were distantly related. Haley was the son of Paton Yewbeam and Julia Ingledew. Haley was only a year older then Edward and Liam, but his father was pretty old. Edward greeted his cousin with a grin. Haley wasn't really his cousin, but what do you call your great-great-uncle's son? Your third cousin?

Haley grinned back. He had black hair that curled around his ears, a pale skin tone and freckles. His eyes were an azure blue, and he had a way of talking that made you listen to him, no matter how quiet he was. Everyone had expected Haley to be endowed, but wasn't. He couldn't powerboost or travel back in time, or knit enchanted clothes or see into the future. He was a kid who lived in a bookshop with 60-year old parents and liked to read. He was one of the most normal kids you could find anywhere. To make him even more typical, he had a crush Autumn Wind, a mysterious girl.

Autumn wasn't endowed either. She was in Haley's drama and in most of his classes. Noboy really knew anything about her; where she lived or who her parents were. She was friendly enough but didn't seem to be on a side. He hair was red, long and straight. She and Haley knew each other, but anyone could have told you that she didn't like Haley _specially_. It was as plain as day. Only last year, Haley had started trying to talk to her more. She would just breeze right past him. And that was the thing; she would _breeze. _It seemed like there was wind following her, yet she had no talent and she hadn't done anyone out of the ordinary. It was just .. weird.

"Hey, where's Owen?" Caitlyn asked, frowning. Caitlyn frowning was a remarkable sight. She had no frown lines, no creases, no anger in her eyes. Her mouth just seemed to change shape with affecting the rest of her body. Liam started, as if he was confused she was asking about the Music student. But then he realized why. Owen hadn't been on the bus. Edward opened his mouth softly. He shook his head, and the four of them turned to stare back at the bus. It had driven away, and there was no sign of the third-former anywhere. That was really odd.

The Music student by the name of Owen Raven was endowed. He played the flute and had the ability to talk to animals. His parents were complete opposites. His father, Billy Raven, was short with red eyes and white hair; and his mother, Emily Sprung, was tall with jet black hair and brown eyes. Their traits had combined to give Owen pastel black hair and pastel pink eyes. He always carried a raven on his shoulder so he was easy to spot. If he had come to school with them, Edward and Liam would have noticed.

"That's odd..." Haley frowned. He couldn't pull it off as well as Caitlyn could.

The four headed inside and remembered to be quiet. The first place they went was the large assembly that was always held at the beginning of the year. Filing into the auditorium, with new fabric seats, they sat together. Edward sat beside Liam, who sat beside Caitlyn, who sat beside Haley. Haley was joined by his friend Kai, another fifth-former who had also in drama. Kai had a head of messy brown hair and his left ear had a stud in it. He was endowed, his power being the power to become invisible at will. He had gotten that talent from his mother, Una Brown, who was married to Edward's godfather Benjamin. On Edward's other side sat Gemma Torsson and Leah O'Donald.

Gem let out a little blush as she settled herself down beside him. Edward was oblivious. It seemed like everyone but him knew that she liked him. He mumbled a greeting and looked up at the stage where he expected Harold and Manfred Bloor to appear any moment now. Tapping his fingers anxiously on the seat, he barely spared a glance at Gemma as he looked over at Leah. She was a second-former and spoke with a slight scottish accent, but she intrigued him. She wasn't endowed in any way, but she was spunky. Leah had long blond hair and threw caution to the winds. The few times they had seen her over the summer, she had always worn bright green and pink. Leah didn't have a side either, which bothered Ed. She would come and sit with them, then flounce off to talk to Jacob and Jenna Tilpin.

The Tilpins had different powers. They were twins, the children of Idith and Joshua Tilpin. Jenna was quiet and vicious like her mother, and she was telekinetic. Jacob was like his father. Everything stuck to him. He was friendly to almost everyone, but he was obvious about the fact that he and his magnetism belonged to Patrick and Manfred Bloor. The twins didn't look alike either. Jenna had a pale face and long black hair in pigtails, whereas Jacob had bushy hay-coloured hair and always had an expression on his tanned face. Despite their differences, they were still the best of friends.

Gemma yawned and leaned on Edward's shoulder. He didn't mind. They had always been close friends, and that was one of the reasons he chose to ignore how she felt. He didn't want to complicate anything. Ever since he had held her while she cried, letting out all of her emotions about her mother's disappearence, the physical boundaries between them had evaporated. Gem was endowed, and she had the power to fly. Thanks to her father Tancred, Gemma wasn't effected by storms. But because of her mother's disappearence, she didn't fly that often. She had slightly tanned skin and curly blond hair that she kept at shoulder-length. Sometimes Gemma could be oddly frusterating. She said things Edward didn't understand, or got sad all of a sudden.

A hush fell over the students in the auditorium. Harold Bloor stood on the stage. He didn't run the Academy anymore, but he and Manfred had decided that Harold was probably much better at public relations. Clearing his throat, he began to speak, "Welcome to Bloor's Academy. Those of you new here will begin the morning by going to your respective departments, then following your schedules. Those of you not new here are expected to behave, as you already know the rules," Harold coughed, and went on to explain the new developments in Bloors Academy.

It was beginning to bore Edward, so he turned to talk to Liam. He had barely poked his friend's shoulder when an icy voice hissed from behind him, "No talking, Bone."

Edward turned to see three of the "evil"children sitting behind him, two of which were endowed. Patrick Bloor was the one who had spoken. Long black hair hung in front of his eyes and down his neck. It wasn't long enough for a ponytail yet, but Patrick might fashion it soon. The boy was a sixth-former, and ran the King's Room. He had the power to burn anyone with fire, and Edward tried to wilf into an even smaller version of himself. He nodded and whispered, "Sorry Patrick."

"He said not to talk!" The second boy said. He was not endowed, but his aunt was. His name was Cameron Loom. He was in Art and was a complete vagabond. He 'trained' rottweilers and skateboarded around. He wasn't the mose well-behaved boy, but at least he only got out on weekends. The freckled boy did his sandy hair up in spikes, and he completely adored Patrick.

Edward bit back a retort and sighed, turning back around to face the front. As he turned, his eyes latched on to the third boy, an endowed child by the name of Tristan Calling. Tristan barely spoke, but his green eyes watched every move Charlie made. He had short and tidy red hair and a long face. Nobody knew his endowment or his parentage. Some believe he was the child of Asa Pike and some thought he was a Loom child, Whatever the case, he certainly belonged to Patrick.

"Turn around," Patrick's voice cut into his thoughts, and Edward twisted right back around. He had missed most of the speech, and only tuned in to the end of it, when Dr. Bloor barked a sharp command.

It must have been for the new girl to stand up, for that's exactly what she did. She looked around and waved at them all. Lastly, her gaze fell on Edward. Sher winked chillingly. Dr. Bloor waited for the gasps to die down before saying, "This new girl is Audrey Endless. She is endowed. Edward Bone, it will be your duty to show her around and then Lydia Lyson, you will help her at night."

Edward looked around in confusion. Why was he helping her? Because they were both in Music and, of course, endowed. He felt an odd sense of déja vu. Like when his father had helped around Dagbert Endless - Endless! Audrey Endless. Was Audrey a drowner? Best not to get on her bad side then. Another bark from Dr. Bloor and Lydia's voice going 'I agree, sir' brought him back to reality. Ed cleared his throat and muttered, "Yes sir," back to Dr. Bloor.

--

The rest of the day passed rather quickly. Edward helped Audrey to get to Music class and showed her where to go. He explained the rules, but had the odd sense she already knew them. He sang akwardly in assembly compared to her, and when he went to play the saxophone, she went off with her clarinet. Music passed gratefully fast and soon they went back to the blue cloakroom. Leaving their capes on the hooks, Edward took her out for break. He tried to shake her off once, but Audrey grabbed his shoulder and cried, "Edward! I don't know anybody here. Don't leave me. I'd like to meet your friends!"

Swallowing his comment that she seemed to be getting on great with Dominic, he brought her over to where Kai and Caitlyn were sitting on a tree stump. Caitlyn waved but Kai just raised his eyebrows. Edward grinned as he came over, "And what have you two been up too? Anything Liam would like to know?" He laughed, getting a punch on the shoulder from Kai.

"Actually," Caitlyn began, "We were just waiting for Liam, Gem and - Oh, hi there Audrey."

Immediately, her voice had become hard and cold. She shot Edward an angry glance, but Edward just looked at her helplessly. Audrey clearly wasn't like. Time for a short joke, "Hey, Caitlyn, how come you got to stand back there in the auditorium when the rest of us were sitting?"

"I'm not that short! I'm 5"3, and I'll have you know -" Caitlyn began furiously, with a hint of laughter in her voice, until Kai cleared his throat.

Falling silent, Caitlyn looked at Audrey, and there was hostility in her eyes as Audrey smiled back at her. Walking over to Kai, Audrey sized him up. They were in the same form, Edward realized. He also realized that he would have to pull Ausrey away from Kai before Caitlyn decided to eat her for supper. Caitlyn's eyes blazed as she opened her mouth, but Edward clamped a hand over it, "Listen. Audrey, I better show you the rest of the ruins, alright?" He suggested feebly.

Audrey didn't fall for it. She looked at Caitlyn angrily and rolled her eyes, tossing her hair from her shoulders, "It's alright, Eddie. You can be honest with me. I can see that she doesn't like me very much. Come on, let's go somewhere else," She grabbed him by the hand and strode away.

Caitlyn looked at his form being dragged away. She mouthed the word 'Eddie'. Edward could only shrug. So he had a pet name now. He turned to keep up with Audrey and missed Gemma and Haley walking towards Caitlyn and Kai, a sad expression on Gem's face. He missed Caitlyn running over to hug her. Kai strode over with his hands in his pockets and clapped Haley on the back.

The horn sounded shortly after, and the children clamoured back inside. Ed grabbed his cape and headed to English, glad that Audrey was in a form higher than him. English was taught by the unfortunately named Mr. Semin, who ushered them inside and gave them a strict seating plan. Ed was to sit beside Liam and a random boy by the name of Marjc. After English was over, they grabbed their books and headed off to History, where they sat together in a corner. Ms. Carp gave them a pop quiz which Edward did miserably on. Liam did well, so he was cheerful as they headed down to lunch.

The afternoon whizzed by, and Edward found himself assualted by Audrey in the hall. She gave him one her cool looks and asked, "Alright then Eddie. Where are we headed? Where's the King's room?"

'Eddie' was about to answer when the ground underneath them shook. Audrey fell on him and he fell against the wall. as the floor began to rumble even more. Audrey shrieked and pulled him under a doorframe, where they huddled. Nothing fell from the ceiling, but the quake lasted a few good minutes. After that, the french teacher occuping the room they were huddled in shooed them to leave. They couldn't move with falling, and she got very annoyed.

Eventually they picked themsleves to their feet and walked down the hallway until they entered the King's room.

--

Paton Yewbeam was enjoying a nice cup of sherry wine when the ground began to shake. He was sitting on a white chair over a beige carpet near the white bedsheets. The room was candlelit, so Paton didn't have to worry about getting glass in his wine. The house shook so ferociously that the wine spilled all over the chair, carpet and bed.

As the quake contiuned, Paton caught a movement out the window. A black raven flew around the city with it's sharp calls. It dived around, then suddenly fell to the ground. A white hot pain flashed up Paton's arm and he gritted his teeth agaisnt it. It only lasted for a minute, but it left a hideous white mark on his arm. "It's time," He grimaced.

"Oh dear," Said Paton when the quake had subsided, taking in the mess, "Julia will _kill _me."

* * *

**The poor unfortunate teacher named Semin xD**

**And the cut to Paton was to show the earthquake was also in the city. Just to have a little bit of silly, you know.**

**And can we guess anything about the raven? Guess correctly to win a MYSTERY plushie.**

**omgspazz**

**This chapter was to show all of the pairings kinda sorta. If you can name me all of the pairings I suggested in this chapter, then you win another MYSTERY plushie.**

**Want to here more about 'Eddie'? Review and stay tuned for the next chapter. I will not update this fast during the week.**

**Jelly - Yes, I am a god xD Thanks for reviewing. You get a Kai plushie that punches other boy plushies in the arm. Smexeh no?**

**Doo-doo-doo**

**Long enough chappie guys? Tell me if you want less/more, alright? Huzzahh. Plushies galore. Will be giving out lots. -likes plushies-**

**Eagleh**


	4. A drowning in the King's Room

**A drowning in the King's Room  
(No Rest for the Wicked)**

Well, all in all, Edward reflected, it had been a pretty eventful day. It always was. But this time, a strange girl called Audrey had come and latched on to him. She was most likely a drowner, and evil. Ed frowned. What if when she sat with Dom, it wasn't because she was evil. Maybe there had just been an empty space to sit and she had sat beside him without knowing he was evil. Maybe she was still undecided, and Edward and his friends could get her on their side. Yeah, as long as she stopped calling him Eddie. Audrey wasn't the only mystery that day. Owen hadn't come to school, and there had been a large earthquake. Audrey had used it to her adavtange so she could fall on him, but Edward wouldn't rest until he found out what had caused it.

Alright, that was a lie. He would rest. He loved resting. Dozing, sleeping, sitting, snacking, whatever. But it was Bloor's, so the only sleep he got was a night. It wasn't like the Bloors rested either. They probably stayed at night with evil plans to mutilate his gang of friends and eat their arms. They probably had arguments over which body parts were more tasty. No wonder Patrick always had dark rings under his eyes. Silently, Edward hoped they would all get a terrible case of insomneia and have to be hospitalized. The downside was that they might decide to sleepwalk and murder Edward in his sleep. A delightful pictured. He groaned aloud, and Audrey turned to look at him. Her eyes were undreadable as she asked, "You alright there Eddie?"

Edward nodded and shook himself out of his trance. She apparently cared about him, so she couldn't be that bad. On the other hand, it could just be a clever trick. He sighed again and looked around. They were still a few doors down from the King's Room. He could make out the ginger hair of Tristan as he disappeared through the door. He was followed by Gemma, who didn't even bother to look at Edward. Ed frowned. What had he done to make her mad? Looking back at Audrey, he shook his head, "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

Audrey touched his arm lightly and looked like she was about to say something when Caitlyn came striding over. She has her hands in her pockets and was sining quietly '_only the dead die young_'. Ed and Audrey looked at her like she was crazy. There was a brief silence before Audrey cleared her throat. Edward brushed dirt of his sapphire cape and managed to say, "You know it's supposed to be 'only the good die young', right?"

Caitlyn rolled her eyes and patted him on the cheek, "I know that. It's just a hell of a lot more fun to sing it my way. C'mon, let's go! To the Kind's Room, where Patrick awaits our eager return!" Her voice turned dry at the last moment as she flounced away, barely looking back over her shoulder.

"Kind of, well, odd, isn't she?" Audrey voiced as they began to walk back to the King's Room together.

She slipped her hand through Edward's. Edward tried to take his hand out slowly, but she gave him a despairing look, so he stayed hand-in-hand with her. Besides, her hand was warm and soft. He'd refuse it next time, he promised himself. Audrey's comment finally registered in his head, and he stopped himself on the doorframe of the room. Frowning, he said, "Don't diss her like that. She's Caitlyn. She's odd in a good away. Aren't well all?"

Audrey mumbled something that Edward hoped was an apology. He remembered to take his hand out of her just in time, and they slipped into the King's Room. Edward took a seat beside Audrey and Gemma. Gem turned the other way and began to talk to Caitlyn until Patrick called for silence. He glared at Edward, but that didn't work very well as Audrey had managed to seat herself beside Patrick. Ed was seat away from his rival and enemy. Audrey, however, hadn't noticed the crackling tension in the room. She even grinned at Kai, much to Caitlyn's dislike. Well, that was Audrey for you. Patrick cleared his throat again, "Silence and start your homework."

But the arrival of Audrey had changed their seating plan. An extra chair had been added, but sat there unused because of Owen's lack of well, being there. Dominic eventually stood up and carted it off. Patrick sat at the head of the table happily leering at people. Beside him was Audrey, scribbling at her homework. She would occasionaly look up and smile at people. Edward, sitting beisde her, noticed that even when she smiled, her slate eyes still looked like they were full of hatred. What was she playing at? Beside Edward, Gemma sat with her nose in a Spanish book. Caitlyn was beside her, scribbling at a piece of paper boredly. Beside Caitlyn, Kai sat with a frown on his face. He was staring at his Art Sketchbook like he didn't quite get something. Ed peeked over to see a 3-D sketch of a dog, measurements written by the sides. On Kai's other side, Tristan sat looking at his French verbs, repeating them silently to himself. Besiden Tristan sat Jenna. She was working on an English project, moving the pencil with her mind. Edward wondered if her paper would be legible. Jacob sat ebside his sister, picking scrap's of his collage project (for History) out of his bushy hair. He met Ed's eyes and grimaced, a strange expression playing on his face. Edward quickly looked aside to see Dominic grunting moodily as he wrote out a composition for Music. Then beside Dom was Patrick again. His dark hair hung in front of his eyes, giving him quite an eerie look.

"Edward! Do your work!" Patrick's voice cut into his thoughts. His tone was cold, and usually Edward would have obeyed. He looked down at his History assignment and bit his lip thoughtfully. He looked back up and was about to argue when Audrey broke in.

"Mr. Patrick sir, why does he have to do his work? If he doesn't want to do it, it's his choice. Personally, I find work really boring." Audrey leaned back in her seat. She had gone from being mysterious to a girl who was cute but scary at the same time. Ed recognized the voice she was putting on. It sounded ditzy, but she was trying to manipulate Patrick. Her eyes were still cold. Ed held his breath.

Jacob looked up from his work and Audrey's clarinet nearly banged into his attractive head. He caught it at the last moment and Jenna send it speeding back towards Audrey's side of the table. Frown lines creased Jacob's freckled face as he looked at Audrey. The third-former seemed to have a strange power over her, "Aud. Don't forget yourself."

"What? What's going on?" Caitlyn asked, looking up from her work and ducking to avoid a flying clarinet, "What did he mean, remember who you are? Ok, well, that's not what he said, I guess. But it's close enough. See, I'm paraphrasing it. That's what we learned it English today. See, it means summarizing the story in different but easier to understand words. Ms. Carp says to use it when -"

"Shut up!" Dominic looked up from his side of the table, his eyes glowing an angry red as opposed to their normal brown, "You stupid slut-"

Edward gaped. Audrey said nothing. Jenna grinned. Jacob winced and rolled his eyes. Patrick didn't look up. Caitlyn almost began to cry. Gemma put her hand on Caitlyn's shoulder. Tristan kept on memerising his verbs.

Kai vanished.

"Where did Brown go?" Patrick snapped, grabbing for one of his textbooks before it could hurl across the room, guided by an invisible hand.

Jenna pinpointed the location of Patrick's textbook and sent Audrey's clarinet, which had been hovering in midair, flying towards where she thought Kai was. It thudded harmlessly against the wall and Audrey screeched. Edward put his hand on Audrey's arm to calm her down while Caitlyn glared hatefully at Dom. She was probably thinking back to the time in the first form when they had been friends, and Dominic had even had a crush of Caitlyn.

Before any of them really registered what was going on, Dom let out a little cry of shock. The coke that Kai had smuggled in to Bloor's was being dumped out on his head. The brown liquid got into his robe and on his ecru-coloured hair. It got all over his homework and his seat. Caitlyn smiled. All of Edward's friends began to laugh. Dom glowered and swiped behind him, but Kai had moved. Patrick bellowed for them to stop. Jenna missed Edward and hit Audrey full on with a pencilcase.

Audrey stood up. Her steely eyes flashed with indignance. She had turned from cute Audrey to scary Audrey, Edward remarked. The room began to glow with strange colours, and the lamp flickered and went out. Shapes of fish began to dance on the wall. Ed felt his breath being squeezed out of him. He could barely breath, and the air around him was wet and humid. He made his way over to Gem and looked into her scared eyes. They were going to drown. In the King's Room. What a sad predicament. Just as Edward felt himself getting dizzy and see his vision fading to greenish black, it all stopped.

Jacob Tilpin was facing Audrey and there was a menacing glare on his face. Kai had come back and was standing beside Edward with a pale expression on his usually jovial face. Jacob's eyes were hard, "I'll tell Auntie if you do that again."

Whoever Auntie was, Audrey seemed to be scared of her, "You wouldn't dare, you pipsqueak," she hissed.

Jacob nodded, not intimidated at all by Audrey's angry tone. He continued to glare at her,"I'll tell her and Uncle. We'll get the flyer to do it."

"I won't help you," Sobbed Gemma, confused and scared out of her wits.

The flyer seemed only to refer to Gem, but that's not who they were talking about. Jacob dismissed her with a wave of his hand, "Not you. The other flyer."

Before Jacob could say more, Patrick shushed them. He shot fire from his fingertips onto a candle on the other side of the room so they could see better. He looked around at the soggy work and sighed, "I'll have to write a note explaining this. Why don't you all just go along to your dormitories!"

That was greeted by a round of applause. As they walked out, Ed caught Gemma by the arm and began to walk with her. His eyes were concerned and he didn't even worry if she could see the pimples by his chin, "Gem - the flyer they mentioned, you think they were refering to Emma Tolly?"

Gemma swung around to face him, eyes wide. He could see by her face that she had was close to crying. She blinked a few tears back and grabbed his arm for support. Ed slipped his arm around her waist, biting his lip. Gem slowly opened her mouth and whispered, "I don't want to talk about my mother. I never did. But what if they have her, Ed? What if she belongs to them?"

--

Patrick Bloor was not a happy camper. Night had fallen and the other children were back in their beds. But he was still long awake, reflecting over the events on the day. Unable to sleep, Patrick had moved from his bed to his desk, scribbling furiously on a piece of paper. A candle was on in his room and one of the window was open. The breeze flew in, cooling him and calming his thoughts. Only a few doors down in the west wing, Patrick knew his father was awake, and pacing restlessly. He could hear Manfred's footsteps on the stone floor. A door creaked open and Patrick hastily took the scrap of paper and the sallow youth ran to the window. He passed it to a robin, "Deliver this," He said, like the robin could understand him.

Just as the bird flew away with the note in it's mouth, Patrick's door opened. Patrick blew out the candle and collapsed onto the bed, but his father wasn't fooled. A deep raspy voice came from Manfred's mouth, "Show me your feet."

Patrick pulled the blanket back and Manfred felt his feet. They were ice cold. A growl came from Manfred and he almost slapped his son, "What were you up to? And what do you plan to do about Audrey. She's obviously beyond your control. It took Tilpin to calm her down. That incident with Brown - Are you sure you're up for this, Patrick Ezekiel Bloor?"

Patrick glared at his father and pulled back. Manfred chuckled. They didn't get along so well sometimes, Patrick thought angrily. His father could just be so demanding, it was hard to please him, "I'm doing my best, father. She's attached to Bone well, though, isn't that good?"

Manfred's pale lips drew upward into a sneer. His coal black eyes flickered, "I suppose so. Mind you don't lose control of her. Or the other one. And was Jacob said, well, discipline him. You're endowed, use your power."

"Of course," Patrick said grimly. Even for the large show he put on for the other students, the black-haired youth was still slightly afraid of his father. Manfred's power to burn was extremely scary. Vicious and scary.

Dr. Bloor chose that moment to walk into the room. His eyes were ringed and his face sagged under wrinkles of stress. His grey hair was cut short and there was a sigh in his voice as he said, "Grandfather wants to see you."

Patrick looked at him curiously. Ezekiel never wanted to see anyone. He would spent his time in his room, plotting and figuring out new ways to extend his life. It was rather creepy, actually. The way his eyes moved around in his small sockets always gave Patrick nightmares. He admired his great-great-grandfather, he really did, but he'd rather not spend time in his proximity.

"C'mon," Manfred's voice was resigned, as if he too felt the same shiver Patrick did. He slipped out into the hallway like a wraith. Patrick looked around, closed his window, and then sighed.

**EEH 3  
****So mkays**

**Here come the plushies sings**

**Dot - You recieve a Patrick plushie that shoots fire. Just 'cause.**

**Sapphire - You get a Jenna plushie that glares at people. It comes with a complementry pencilcase.**

**Jelly - Your plushie is a Leah plushie that sings with a scottish accent.**

**YAYY**

**I did rate this T**

**Sorry I said slut, if it offended anyone. Yeah, I know you wouldn't find that in a Charlie Bone book ;-;**

**Please don't kill me. Leave in your review if you want me to cut the profanity down (Not that there is any, but)**

**I'll even change damn to dang and hell to heck if you want me to.**

**But really, Dom's 16. He's bound to swear.**

**  
****Thanks for reviewing peoples!  
****Next one up soon  
I promise!  
Really!**


	5. Just a little bit of fluff

**Just a little bit of fluff**

_Tuesday_

Kai woke up in his green bed, still angry with himself for what he had done yesterday. He was supposed to be the quiet one, but he had lost his temper. And for good reason. That bastard had the nerve to call Caitlyn a slut! He was supposed to think about his actions, but he had poured all of his coke onto Dominic's head. It was like Kai was becoming Haley and Haley was becoming Kai. His world was tipping. But he still felt a warm glow of happiness whenever he reflected on what he had done. Dom had deserved it. And as much as it pained him, Kai once again came face-to-face with his feelings for Caitlyn.

He knew Liam liked her, and that was what was refraining the fifth-former. Liam was his friend, and he wasn't cruel enough to take Caitlyn away from him. _Maybe_, Kai thought, twidling his thumbs, _maybe he could find a girl for Liam! _But the celloist was rather shy and, though he was adorably cute, he wasn't handsome or strong. Not exactly boyfriend matieral. Not that Liam was shy. He had an extravagent personality and was one of the funniest people Kai knew. He just tended to close up around girls.

For the first time in his life, Kai was glad he was in a different department than Caitlyn and Liam. He would only have to see them at break and at supper. And Caitlyn in the King's Room. He shivered at yesterday's memory. He had been so scared during the drowning, and he hadn't even thought about what he was doing. Anger had consumed him, and it was his fault Jenna had hit Audrey with a pencilcase. Thank God Jacob had been there to stop Audrey.

And Jacob, too. What was up with that guy? He had this way of controlling Audrey and it wasn't just his magnetism. Audrey had only been at school for one day, and already there were conflicts going on. Audrey was attaching herself to Edward, and Gemma seemed to be wallowing in sorrow. But of course, she was jealous. And that had been the first time in awhile he had seen Patrick use his power.

Life had just gotten a whole lot stranger.

--

"Oh! Haley! Did anyone tell you? I can't believe you weren't there. You should be endowed! It was amazing! And really, really scary. Like, really scary." Caitlyn ran into the purple canteen that morning, full of life. She felt amazingly exhilierated, all memories of Dom calling her a slut forgotten. Instead, her mind was racing with images of the psychic getting covered in Coke. Kai was definately her new hero.

Haley looked up rather awkwardly and shook his head. Frowning, the boy concentrated for second, and then his freckled face broke into a grin, "I remember Patrick coming in to check on us. He seemed really upset. Even Jacob was kinda pissed off. What happened?"

Caitlyn opened her mouth to reply, but Patrick came striding past. His eyes were narrowed and a red streak ran across from his temple to his ear. _Looks nasty_, Caitlyn grimaced. Patrick stopped and looked at them, his face a mask of fury, "I expect you to concentrate on eating your breakfast, Sage. Not talking."

Shooting an apologetic glance at Haley, Caitlyn resumed eating her toast. She took all of the butter, resulting in complaints from the other side of the table. Taking down her milk in two quick gulps, she finished and brought out a pen. She wrote on the napkin and passed it to Haley so Patrick wouldn't see, for Patrick was sitting by the wall looking at her.

As Caitlyn walked away, Haley looked down at the piece of paper. She had written, very messily, _We almost drowned. I'll tell you more during break. P.S Does - _But she had evidently decided not to ask the last question.

--

Break had passed and Haley had been filled in on everything. The endowed children trooped up the King's Room as usual. There was a strange silence in the room, and it felt as though if it was broken, a repeat of yesterday would occur. Owen still hadn't returned, and his abscence was affecting all of the 'good' children. They were outnumbered, and Audrey was still undecided. Kai turned to Edward and passed a note through Caitlyn and Gemma. Gemma refused to look at Edward as she passed it along. Opening the wrinkled paper, Edward read - _'You need to get Audrey on our side, or just stop chilling with her. Can't you see Gem is getting pissed? She's really dangerous, but I can't take the suspense of not knowing which side Audrey is on.'_

Ed glared at Kai, but Kai was speaking the truth. If Audrey was one of the 'evil' children, she would be a fearsome opponent. But it was better then having her be unpredictable. Re-reading the letter, Ed frowned and looked at Kai. "Gemma?" He mouthed silently.

Gemma caught this but said nothing. The two hours passed painfully, and Edward ran ahead to get to his dormitory. Changing and crawling into bed, he heard Liam get into the bed beside him. For awhile, the two boys said nothing until Liam broke the silence, "So she really likes Kai, huh?"

Edward had already filled Liam in on the details. He nodded slowly, aware that Liam couldn't see him, "Sorry."

Liam laughed, "It's- It's actually alright. I don't mind at all. I mean, Kai's my buddy. I've been getting over Caitlyn for awhile now..." He faded out, and soon drifted off to sleep.

Edward stayed awake for a few minutes longer, then drifted off to sleep.

--

_Wednesday_

Owen wasn't in the blue canteen that morning. Edward sighed and ran a hand through his bushy blond hair. He hadn't used any zit cream this morning and was feeling oddly oily. He sat down beside Liam and looked in disgust at the breakfast. Cold scrambled eggs with a hint of bacon on the side. Liam, a vegetarian like his father, scooped his bacon onto Edward's plate. Ed sniffed at it in revulsion. It was cold, stale and brittle. He took down a couple of bites of scrambled eggs and a tentative nibble at the bacon before putting getting up and heading towards the music room.

Audrey met him in the hall. She looked much more sophisticated then before. She seemed taller as well. Could it be that she was perhaps, dare to suggest, schizo? She nodded cooly to him, "Come along, Ed."

So much for his nickname that had lasted two days. Edward rolled his eyes and followed her into the music room. It seemed different. All the music students were sitting around in the main room instead of in their lessons. Audrey whispered to him, "Mr. Alexis had organised a cameo with the art class. We're to go there and play, and they'll draw or sculpt us playing our instruments. The drama class is doing it tomorow."

Edward groaned. He was bad enough at playing his instrument, but now he had to play it for other people? Today was getting pretty bad. On the bright side, it meant he would get to see some of his friends that were in Art. Kai and Gemma. And he still hadn't figured out why Gem was mad at him. He was just trying to be nice to Audrey. After all, she was new.

Kai's words came back to him. _Gem is getting pissed_. And then it hit him. Maybe Gemma liked him? Edward had never really thought about dating. Okay, that was a pretty big lie. He always thought about dating. And girls. After all, he was a pretty normal horomonal boy. But Gemma? They had always been friends, and of course he had pictured her naked. Hey, don't laugh. Ed pictured every hot girl naked. But to think of her as a girlfriend...?

At that moment, Mr. Alexis swept into the room. He had a commading air about him, as if he was used to everyone obeying him. And usually, they did. With a frown on his face and shrewd green eyes taking in the room, he barked, "Art room. Now. Hurry hurry. Double file, take your instruments!"

Edward found Liam and they walked out together as Audrey latched onto Dom. A smile even grazed Dom's surly face as they walked out. Ed watched them disgustedly, "I really hate that guy."

"Jealous?" Liam asked, but it was only teasingly.

Ed thought about Audrey's chilling stares and changing personalities. He shook his head, "No."

The two continued walking, very little being said between them. Eventually they reached the Art Room. Liam went in through the door, and Edward followed. Immediately, they were overwhelmed by the smells of chalk, ink and burning wood. Gemma came up to Edward and shyly asked if she could draw him. She didn't seem pissed now, instead like a girl trying to talk to her crush. Edward graciously agreed.

Kai drew Audrey by her request, the whole time shooting Edward helpless looks. It became apparent to Ed that Audrey had a thing for the fifth-former, and that she wouldn't be shy about it. He almost grinned as he watched Audrey's shameless posing. She was flaunting all of her attributes, and Kai really didn't care. He was propbably drawing an accurate yet unflattering account of her.

Liam and Marjc posed together for Leah as she cheerfully drew them in vivid colour. "Liam's hair isn't bright green," Said Mr. Sparks (Junior) as he walked by.

Laughter filled the room. Everyone was having a good time. Jenna Tilpin was even enjoying herself. She was sculpting Dominic as he frowned at her and mumbled something that sounded like "Edward' 'Good for nothing' 'That bastard' 'He poured it all over me'. Jenna sighed and patted Dom's hair down. She snapped at him, "I was there, you know."

--

"You look amazing, Audrey," Dom gushed as they walked into the King's Room.

Ed noticed that she payed no attention to him, but rather made a beeline for Kai. Kai shifted away, seemingly very awkward. He glared as Dom came in and a shiver seemed to rush through him. Audrey smiled as she noticed his reaction to Dominic, "Oh don't worry. I don't like him _at all_."

"Trust me, I wasn't thinking about that," Kai growled. He seemed like he was going to become invisible again, but something Caitlyn did made him stop. Ed couldn't see from his angle, so he silently yelled at Patrick to make himself feel better.

Audrey rolled her eyes and patted his cheek. Kai stiffened. Audrey pretended not to notice and went on, "You soon will be."

"Aud." Jacob warned without looking up.

Audrey fell silent. Edward passed Kai a note reading, _Liam gives his blessing._

Kai grinned.

--

_Thursday_

Haley woke up on Thursday with a chill in his spine. Something was wrong at his home. He had only just gotten out of bed when Patrick Bloor came up to him and growled, "Your father's here to pick you up. Something wrong at the store, apparently."

Haley's father was a powerbooster that the Bloors had had trouble with before. Now they didn't bother arguing with Paton. Haley grinned and packed his bags, walking down into the main hall. It was only 6:30, and everyone else would still be in their dorms. The main doors opened and Haley stepped out into the blinding light. He blinked and saw his father in a shiny gold BMW and walked over, getting into the front seat. Before, Paton had been unable to drive, but he had learned to curb his endowment.

"What happened, Da?" He asked. He meant to say dad, but his voice cut out the end from habitude. Paton Yewbeam didn't reply. He just stepped on the gas and drove away.

--

The day passed fast for Edward Bone. The only memorable part was break. He and Liam walked out into the field. Caitlyn was bouncing up and down with excitement, "We should go explore the ruins so we'll be ready for the ruin game! C'mon, let's go!"

Kai laughed and grabbed her hand, "We still have a month to go. There's lots of time to get ready."

Caitlyn relented, and then caught sight of Edward and Liam. She flounced over to them, her usually curled hair straightened, "You think we should explore the ruins, right? Kai says we shouldn't."

Kai whistled and looked away, a grin beginning to form on his tanned face.

"We've played the ruin game already in all of our other years..." Liam said somewhat hesitantly.

Before he could finish what he was saying, Gemma ran up to them, "Haley's gone. Haley's gone! We were supposed to work on an English project this morning instead of Art's, but he never showed up. Patrick said he left. I'm worried about him!"

"You're worried about him...?" Edward said slowly, jealousy burning up inside of him.

Gemma gave him a weird glance, "He's my friend. Of course I am. You were worried about Owen, right?"

"...Yeah..." Edward blushed. Why had he been so stupid to let it show through?

"We'll find him on the weekend," Caitlyn promised, "Maybe he went home?"

"Or maybe he was kidnapped like Owen..." Liam said, face drawn into a frown.

"If we even know Owen was kidnapped," Snapped Kai. Then he sighed and looked down, "Sorry Liam. Haley is my best friend. So don't say things like that."

"Yeah, I'm sorry Kai..." Liam looked away as well. Maybe it was out of guilt, or just to avoid the sight of Caitlyn hugging Kai and telling him not to be sad. Ed felt back for his friend. Caitlyn had been really important to him, but it was obvious who she favoured.

The horn sounded. Edward ran ahead, shouting back at his friends that he would see them at supper and in the King's Room. He needed to think, and already a theory was forming in his mind. But many things were racing through his mind. Gem's concern for Haley. Liam's heartbrokenness. The week so far had been a week for romance. But it was quickly taking a turn for the serious.

**HULLO PEOPLES.**

**EAGLEH HAS A BOOK REPORT TO-DO**

**BLERGH  
BBQ**

**Liam is vegetarian like his dad and like mee.**

**Shomg CaitlynKai is my favourite. couple. ever.**

**Hurrah for them.**

**Plushie time -sings a song-**

**DotCiki - You get a Dom plushie that goes "Hmph" when you squeeze it.**

**Storm - You get a Gemma plushie that draws in her sketchbook.**

**Sapphire - A Haley plushie that is luffly and squishable.**

**OH OH OH AND EVERYBODY GO CHECK OUT DOTCIKI'S FIC BUTTERFLY. I'm sure you all already have. Woo :D for product placement. COUGHDRINKCOKECOUGH.**

**It rained alot today. I got SOAKED. Am I updating fast enough for youse guize?**

**Sorry for the short chapter. I needed a fluffy filler. Well, it's mostly fluff. You know, with all the romanticy stuff and no real plot expect for Thursdayy.**

**CAITLYNKAI**

**DotCiki, I would love you forever if you wrote me a short little fluff oneshot about Kai and Caitlyn. Yeah, that is a request xD You don't have to do it tho. But incase you wanted to.**

**THATS ALL FOR NOW FOLKS**

**Porky Pig: HEY! That's MY line.**

**Oh, and I might hold a contest for plushies involving those fluff fics everyone loves to write.**

**_This chapter goes to SapphireShell as she as reviewed every single one of my chapters thus far. Hurray!_**


	6. The paper blue jay

**The paper blue jay**

**  
**Kai woke with a start. His head was throbbing and blood smeared his hands. Looking around, he saw only darkness with the occasional bit of brown wall. Trying to stand up, Kai nearly fell over again. He reached out to lean on the wall, only to have it move away from him. His headache was distorting distances. Sitting down again, Kai realized he was on steps. Only a few inches away from him was flat ground. Maybe he was in a dungeon somewhere in the depths of the Academy. _But why_? Had he done something wrong? _Was this payback for what he had done to Dominic_? Hopefully it wasn't, and it was all just a big misunderstanding.

Beside him, a groan startled the fifth-former. He wasn't alone. Tentatively, he called out, "Who's there?"

"Brown?" Said a somewhat familiar voice. Jacob Tilpin's brown eyes stared at him from across the room. Kai gave a little start. Why was Jacob Tilpin in a place like this? Was he trying to turn Kai over to their side?

But as Jacob crawled over to where Kai was, Kai's quickly adjusting eyes could see that the boy had bruises on his face and blood matting his hair. Jacob looked frightened, and Kai immediately took pitied on the fellow, "Jacob. Do you know how we got here?"

Shuffling so he could recline against the wall, Jacob shook his head. He coughed a little, holding his gut in pain, "I don't remember anything. I was kind of hoping you could tell me ... the last thing I remember is going to bed on Thursday night. Now I'm sitting here, bloody, in my pyjamas." And indeed he was. Kai could make out little golden swirls on black fabric.

Looking down at himself, Kai realized he was still wearing his green cape. He reached up to unfasten it and felt blood on his neck. It was dripping down from his hair. The brown-haired boy cringed as he took off his cape and put it down. Shaking his head, he remarked, "I must have forgotten to take off my clothes, I was so tired. I just fell right asleep. Didn't hear a thing."

"...We're from different departments..." Jacob said slowly, "So we sleep in different dorms. On different floors..."

An idea came into Kai's mind. He slowly lifted himself up off to the floor to sit beside Jacob. Slumping against the wall, Kai gave the impression of being drowsy and in pain, but his eyes were calculating every movement. He still wasn't sure if he could trust Jacob, but the boy looked pretty badly beat up, "Do you know this place, Jacob? Have you ever been here before? Like, with Patrick or Dom?"

Jacob began to shake his head, and then stopped. Biting his lip thoughtfully, he said slowly, "I might have been here once... Last year... With Patrick. He needed to show me something..."

"What was it?" Kai asked, curious despite himself. For a moment, he actually believed that Jacob was going to tell him.

Jacob closed up immediately and looked into the darkness on his other side. Kai followed his gaze and manage to pick out a barely discernable outline of a door. It didn't seem too far away, but he couldn't really judge distances in the dark. Finally, Jacob spoke, "I can't tell you, alright. Let's just concentrate on getting out of here."

"Can you walk?" Kai asked rudely. The bond formed between the two boys was ruptured as their loyalties divided them once more. He got up slowly and hetitantly reached for Jacob's hand. The door seemed to be getting farther away. But there was light behind it, so the outline would remain visible.

Jacob nodded, "Yeah...". But he took Kai's hand nonetheless. With Jacob limping, the two boys made their way to the door.

Kai grabbed for the doorknob, holding the cold metal in his hand. He turned it slowly and the two boys were blinded by the light. They stepped into a room with a mirror, two chests and a few boxes of dusty costumes. A flickering lamp hung from the ceiling. A door with peeling paint stood to their right. The walls of the room were bare.

Letting out a sigh and running his hands through his hair, Jacob muttered, "We must be in an unused drama room. When Patrick took me down to a dungeon near here, we had to go through a whole maze. There are tons of tunnels under the Academy. I would have gotten lost if it weren't for Pat."

Kai gripped Jacob's arm and pulled him to the mirror. The two boys could examine their cuts for the first time.

Kai had a gash running across his forehead and blood matting his har. Blood, covered by dust, came down from his ear to his neck and seeped into his grey shirt. Bruises were across his neck and left cheek. His shirt was ripped in two locations, and when Kai pulled it up, his lean frame had shallow cuts running across it. He pulled down his pants and boxers slightly to see a gash cutting into his thigh. When he opened his mouth he found blood coating his left canine. Turning around, Kai could see that his back was criss-crossed with cuts.

Jacob had barely fared better. Bruises covered his whole face, and his messy hair was sticky with blood. Blood coated his arms, and it seemed to be coming from matching cuts on his shoulder. Bruises were on his back and fragile chest. The third-former almost cried when he saw the oozing wound on his calf.

"We got beat up pretty bad, huh?" Kai said. Jacob didn't reply. He just put his clothes back on and headed towards the door.

Pulling the knob, Jacob found that it was open. Kai came up behind him and they stepped out into the hall. Passageways branched off in three directions. They all seemed to lead into darkness. Jacob groaned, "We're never getting out of here..."

"Yeah, we will..." Kai said, without much hope in his voice, "Let's see. Inie mini minie mo. Let's go left..."

"That won't work," Jacob told him, "We'd get lost. This is our starting point. Maybe I can remember the route Patrick and I took..."

The boys stood there for a good few minutes, unsure of what to do. Finally there were just about to give up and start arguing over which endowments would come in handy here when a voice said, "Psst. I can help you out of here."

Kai, startled, looked around, but he saw no one. A knock came from the wall and Kai walked over to it. While Jacob watched with wide eyes, Kai knocked back. The voice sounded oddly familiar, but he couldn't place it, "You know your way around this place?"

"I've been in here for about a week," Said The Voice, "I know all of the tunnels and how to get into the walls."

"So how do we get out?" Asked Jacob quietly. Apparently he had a thing about talking walls.

The Voice sounded sure of itself, "Follow me. I'll knock every once in awhile. I'll lead you out."

Kai and Jacob looked at each other, and the boys slowly nodded. So following a stranger through a maze of dark tunnels rather stupidly, Kai and Jacob started walking.

--

"Have you seen Kai!? Edward. Edward! Kai, have you seen him? I haven't seen him. At all. Please tell me you've seen him. Edwarddd!" Caitlyn went from yelling to whining. Her mocha curls were in complete disarray. Her brown eyes were frantic with worry and she was grabbing Ed's arm as he tried to get up.

They were sitting outside on a tree stump, just the two of them. Edward had come outside hoping to show off the dye that he had put in his hair, turning his roots an icy blue. Audrey had fawned over it, but he knew she wasn't serious. Audrey liked Kai. Kai, who was missing.

Caitlyn had also told him that Jacob Tilpin hadn't shown up for drama. Ed was intrigued by this. After cracking a 'you think they eloped?' joke, he began to think. An idea came to him rapidly, and as soon as Caitlyn had finished with her rant, Ed said, "You know, they both have the same thing in common. They both infuriate Audrey. Kai because he doesn't like her back, and Jacob because he has this ... control over her."

Caitlyn blanched. She opened her mouth and stuttered a bit before muttering something comprehensible, "You think that ... that bitch ... did something to them?"

"I was only suggesting..." Edward said hurridly, as he knew that he'd worried her, "I'm sure that's not it."

"Edward," Her voice was iron cold. She turned to look at him, "Spy on her

A large paper blue jay flew by on the wind. It circled around and around until it landed on Edward's head, where it disappeared. Edward's jaw dropped, "I don't know if that'll work. Nice illusion, by the way."

Caitlyn just shook her head at him, "Do it."

"In front of you?" Edward pleaded, somewhat reluctant to do what she asked. He shifted from side to side nervously, "Do I really have to?"

"Would you rather hide behind a bush?" Caitlyn asked sarcastically. She thwaped him lightly on the shoulder and passed him a piece of paper and a pen.

Ed looked at her doubtfully but took the paper. He held the pen carefully in his hand and began to draw. Slowly the realistic shape of a blue jay began to take place. With the blue pen, Edward coloured in the areas that needed colour. The eyes were so lifelike he felt like he should have been in Art. The wings receieved their form, being textured perfectly. Soon it seemed that the blue jay was three-dimensional, just waiting to take flight. When Edward was sure the other details had been done, he took a grey pencil crayon from his pocket and lightly traced veins inside the bird's head, connecting the brain to the eyes and the ears and the muscles and ligaments. He put the paper down on the stump and blew. Edward pufed his cheeks and blew. Slowly, the blue jay began to peel off of the paper. It took to the sky and Edward felt a piece of his heart go with it.

"_Find Audrey_," He whispered and closed his eyes.

Immediately his viewpoint switched to that of the birds. He was flying over the Academy. On the ground, he dimly recognized the shapes of Gemma and Liam walking over to him and Caitlyn. Caitlyn moved up to tell them what he was doing. Just as Edward was beginning to enjoy the rush of green and grey below, the bird suddenly dived. It nearly flew into a window, but stopped just in time. Perching on the window, it allowed Ed to look in. He saw Audrey and Cameron sitting together in a room he hadn't been aware of.

The room had walls made from polished black cherry wood, and the floor was also wood. It was smooth and looked like walnut. A large table with sat in the middle. Tapestries hung from the walls and cast gloomy shadows onto the floor. A set of drawers stood in one corner. Blackwood chairs were set around the table, but none were occupied. Audrey sat in a velvet blue chair by a crackling fire off to the side of the room. Sitting in a pristine grey velvet chair, Cameron lounged back against the headrest. Then Audrey leaned forward to say something to him.

Ed/bird tested the window and found that it was open. It hopped inside curiously and fluttered to the mantel, landing above Audrey's chair and behind a large golden mirror, and stopped moving. Edward found that he could see and hear perfectly.

"What about Tristan?" Cameron snapped, eyes half-closed but Ed could see that they were completely alert.

Audrey rolled her eyes, "What about him? Him and the flyer are completely under control. It's not like she knows, anyways."

Cam obviously didn't like her rude tone, "What if she knows!? Auntie was telling me that the last time, they managed to do the same thing. Somehow they learned about it. It can happen again."

"These are different circumstances," Audrey said bitterly, "Completely different."

"Yeah, sure," Cameron said, "They sit in the same chair. Manfred hasn't even replaced the chairs, but if he did they would sit in the same place. And the flyer, well, what if one of us who know about her turns to _their_ side, tells them. This is crazy, Audrey. I don't know why Pat and Manfred thought you could help."

"I drown people, Cam. I'm a hell of a lot more useful than you," Audrey said matter-o-factly. She reclined in her chair and brought her legs up over the side.

"Then drown them! That's why we put them there! Can you make up your mind? Us or them!?" Cameron spazzed, leaping to his feet. He was clearly angry now, and his fists were clenched, trembling.

A horrible expression came onto Audrey's face for a second, but it vanished in a second. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Cameron defiantly, "I'm not going to. They were put there to keep them out of my way. Not to _kill_ them."

The door on the other side of the room glided open smoothly without even the hint of a creak. A wheelchair rolled in. It's habitant was tiny, with a skinny frame and sunken eyes. The flesh on his face was mottled with age spots and wrinkly. Only one stringy strand of hair hung down from his scalp. Bones stuck out at all angles, as there was no fat left on his flesh. When Ezekiel Bloor opened his small mouth, it could be seen that he had no 'teef'.

He rasped, "...Loom... leave the room. This is matters for the endowed. It does not concern you."

"Just because I'm not endowed-" Cameron started angrily, but Ezekiel gave him such a look that he froze, nodded and left the room.

Audrey, who wasn't exactly used to being alone in rooms with weird old men, gave a little start and Ed could see a shiver run down her spine. Softly, Audrey said, "What do you want, Ezekiel?"

Ezekiel gave her a toothless grin, "Why... M'dear... I need you to drown some people..."

Audrey started and opened her mouth to protest but Ezekiel foresaw her argument. He hastily added, "Not Tilpin and Brown. I know you like Brown too much to drown him. I only had Patrick and Dom put them there so they didn't distract you. Dom did the rough-housing, and Patrick kept them sleeping..."

"How did Patrick keep them sleeping?" Audrey asked, curious despite herself.

Raising his eyebrows, Ezekiel leered at her, "He put fire in their heads. Only temporary of course, but it stopped their senses for a few hours."

Horrified, Audrey brought her hands to her mouth in shock. Ezekiel knew he had had an effect on her, and he smirked while waiting for her to return to her sense. There was a long silence.

"..." Audrey began, "So who do you want me to drown?"

Then a sharp pain cut through Edward's forehead and he opened his eyes to see a blank piece of paper in front of him. Somewhere in the high towers, a new blue jay zoomed around, free. Looking to see what caused the pain, he saw Liam looking down at him, angry, "You idiot! The horn sounded. We had to hit you - it was enjoyable, trust me - until you woke up. What did you learn?"

"Bone! Gunn! Sage! Torsson! Get to your classes!" Patrick's voice cut across the field. Edward blanched as he looked towards him.

Caitlyn grabbed Ed's arm, "Are you alright? You look like you just remember something awful..."

"Patrick," Whispered Edward so low that the other three had to strain to hear him, "He took Kai and Jacob somewhere to get them out of Audrey's way... He put fire in their heads so they couldn't wake up. Ezekiel wants Audrey to drown somebody. Be careful Caitlyn, I think she dislikes you because of Kai..."

Liam and Gemma gasped in unison and went, "Fire? In their heads? Oh my god..."

Caitlyn, however, had only heard the second part of Edward's whisper. Well, she had only payed attention to the second part, "I am not dating Kai! Why is she jealous of me? There's definately nothing between us. Just because all the girls like him - you have to admit, he's hot - doesn't mean I do. Much! Ugh. He frustrates me so much!"

"Anything else?" Gemma asked quietly. After hearing about the mysterious 'flyer' she was desperate to find any evidence that would connect her Emma Tolly.

Ed frowned, "Something about the flyer and Tristan sitting in the same seat... It was really confusing... And that last time, we managed to do the same thing. Something they fear we'll do to Tristan."

Liam looked like he was about to say something, but another call from Patrick sent them all scurrying. As they were running into the Academy, Edward turned to Gemma and Caitlyn and mouthed, "I'll see you afterschool and tell you more."

--

Tired, dusty, dirty, weary, scratched, cold and hungry, two boys stood before a large door. Kai seemed afraid to turn the door handle, scared that it would lead them to yet another maze of tunnels that they would have to get out off. Jacob looked intimidated by the tall door and let Kai do the work.

"It won't bite you," said The Voice, and once again Kai felt the tugging in his heart that suggested he knew the speaker. Slowly, he opened the door too find bright light engulf them. Wind mussed up their hair and Kai let out a whoop of exultation. Jacob remained quiet, to tired to speak.

Turning to the wall, Kai said, "Why don't you come out with us? You know the way."

Somewhat shakily, The Voice replied, "It's safer down here."

--

"Let's go see if the buses are even close to coming!" Caitlyn, Gem, Ed and Liam had been standing around in a dusky corner outside the Academy waiting for the buses. Edward had explained everything he had heard, and the friends had planned to meet at the Pet's Café on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

The cappucino-coloured girl nearly flew down the steps towards the buses when a yell of 'Hey! Caitlyn!' stopped her. She turned to see a tall, lithe boy coming towards her, hands in his pockets. Matching his messy brown hair, his chestnut eyes laughed and sparkled as he came closer. A few bruises still lingered on his face and neck, but all the blood had been washed off.

"Kai! You got out!" And with that, Caitlyn flung herself at him, earning a remark along the lines of 'I was only gone a day'.

Disentangling himself from Caitlyn, Kai peered at her, "How did you know that I was in the tunnels?"

Caitlyn, who wasn't very eager to let go of her crush, hugged his arm while she explained about Edward's little journey.

Panting and wheezing, Liam and Edward arrived beside them, closely followed by Gemma. Gemma hugged Kai quickly, so not to intrude on Caitlyn's territory. Liam laughed happily and clapped Kai on the shoulder. Edward grinned and nodded at them. It was a happy reunion for the most part.

"So how did you get out, then?" Caitlyn poked him.

"...Me and Jacob, we just wandered around for a bit..." Kai said slowly, like he was hiding something.

Ed looked like he was going to press Kai for more details, but a high-pitched voice interrupted them, "Kai!"

A girl with short blond hair came down to the base of the steps to meet them. She completely ignored the others, talking only to Kai. Edward recognized her as Lydia Lyson, who as responsible for helping Audrey at night. She was a fifth-former with sparkling blue eyes, pale skin and pearly white teeth. Kai looked up at her, surprised she was coming over.

Twirling her blue cape behind her, Lydia walked right up to Kai and tried to shy away at the last minute for more effect, "So what are you doing this weekend, Kai?"

"Uhm," Started Kai, not quite sure how to answer. His last girlfriend had been in spring of last year, and truthfully he was more interested in a certain fourth-former then Lydia Lyson, "Working at the Pet's Café mostly..."

"Oh, really? Well, do you mind if I come along sometime?" Lyda giggled and looked down at her pink painted nails.

"If you don't mind hanging out with my friends," Kai said, and Edward almost burst out laughing at the awkward look on Lydia's face. Kai seemd to realize his mistake and hastily added, "But I guess I could show you around the back a little..."

"Cool!" exclaimed Lydia, and she flounced off towards the blue bus which had arrived at last.

Exchanging looks, Liam and Edward headed off towards the blue bus while Caitlyn got on the Art bus with Gemma for their sleepover. 'Cause Kai definately wasn't the reason she was taking the green bus, Edward smirked as he sat down.

And they drove home.

x.x.x.x

**Thanks for the reviews people :3**

**Thank you for the oneshot DotCiki! It was pwnsome. Amazing. People, go check it out D:**

**You're only _starting_ to love CaitlynKai? xD j/k j/k**

**My thoughts on this chapter-**

**It is longer then usually by like 1000 words. It takes place of Friday and is the whole day. There is a bit of JacobKai slash that'll just remain fluff. I'm planning for Jacob to eventually switch sides just a little. I'm really proud of it.**

**To Win Extra Plushies-**

**Tell me who you think the voice inside the wall was. (For the person-in-the-wall Plushie)**

**Guess who Tristan's parents are. (For a Tristn Plushie)**

**Plushie Time-**

**DotCiki- For writing that lovely fic, you get a Caitlyn plushie. For reviewing, you get a Cameron plushie. For your villian collection.**

**Jelly- For you, a Lydia plushie for your shampoo commercials.**

**Red'n'Gold- A Jacob plushie that gives you toothy smiles.**

_This chapter is dedicated to **DotCiki** for all of her love_

**Till next time**

**Eagleh**


	7. A list of priorities

**A list of priorities  
(Acne!)**

A very stressed Edward Bone woke up on Saturday morning.

He groggily pulled himself out of bed and put his feet on the floor. He was wearing some grey and white pyjamas and the material was starting to rub uncomfortably against his legs. He rubbed his blue eyes and got up. The room spun a little, but he grabbed onto the top of his mahogany dresser until the dizziness passed. He could smell bacon frying downstairs, but also a whiff of burnt toast and badly made scrambled eggs. His mother never made breakfast like that.

_I mean, I know she was a little tired and resting in bed when I came home_, Edward thought as he threw on a black Billabong shirt with the logo in white, _But I've never known her to skip on breakfast. Something just seems wrong_. Slipping into sea blue jeans, he ambled down the hall and into the bathroom. Perched on the counter, he took his Arm and Hammer toothpaste and began brushing. Once he was finished, he looked into the mirror. Combing his messy blond hair down, he scrutinized his acne. It was mostly subsiding, with just little splotches around his nose and on his chin. It didn't look that bad, really.

Until he saw it. The monster of all monsters. The biggest and the most horrible of all blackheads in the world. The ultra-zit. Sitting there, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, in the middle of his forehead. His _friggin_ forehead.

Needless to say, Ed panicked. He flew down the stairs into the kitchen to see his father cooking. No wonder it smelt so awful. His mum must be really, really sick.

"Hi Dad," Edward said, his words rushed, "You seen mum around anywhere? I really really need to talk to her. I need some money. For that new acne-relief thingy. Proactin? I have no clue. Is she in bed?"

"Yeah-" Charlie Bone started, but before he could finish, Ed had already zoomed up the stairs going to his mother's door.

Opening the door, Edward saw his mother lying in the bed she and Charlie shared. The purple/blue covers where up to her chin and she was dozing peacefully. When Ed entered, she woke and blinked at him drowsily. Something about her voice put Edward on the edge. Olivia didn't seem like she had full control of her sense, "Edward. How lovely. Is there something you need?"

"Money," Edward answered, completely unabashed, "I got this huuuge zit on my forehead, see. I want to try that new stuff but I'm broke. It's only a couple of pounds."

"Why d'you need to cover the zit?" Olivia asked, her eyelids drooping as she fell back onto the pillow.

Edward twidled his thumbs, "I'm going to the Pet's Café. Gemma's going to be there."

"Gemma..." Her voice was faint and she almost seemed asleep again, "There's a couple of pounds on my dresser. Gemma... she's a lovely girl. A lovely girl. I saw her brother the other day..."

Ed froze, all thoughts of zit panic forgotten. Instead, a new chill entered him and he was unable to speak for a moment. Fighting down the urge to just crawl into a hole a die, he managed to choke out, "Mom? Gemma doesn't have a brother."

--

Caitlyn arrived earlier than usual at the Pet's Café. It was still closed, but she knew that the owners would be glad to let her in. On her left shoulder, sifting through her hazelnut curls, was small parrot. It's green and yellow feathers contrasted amazingly with her soft hair.

She took a deep breath and knocked at the door nervously. Today was the day that she was going to confront him, admit to him her feelings. She had delayed too long, and now that Lydia girl was moving in on her territory. Pushing a loose strand of curls behind her ear, Caitlyn turned her make-up covered eyes to the window of the shop, trying to see inside. The lights were on, so someone must be up. Anxiously, she knocked again.

When no one came to let her in, Caitlyn tried the doorknob. To her relief and astonishment, it opened. She slipped in silently, hoping that no one would notice her in the mildly lit room. She went behind the counter, wondering what would happen if she caught Kai sleeping. Would he think that she was a pervy lady?

A noise from the kitchen attracted her attention. She tiptoed over to the door and peeked in nervously. What she saw nearly took her breath away, and she almost collapsed onto the clean tile floor.

Kai was standing there, handsome as usual. He was wearing some rock band shirt. It was black and tightly fit his form. Some words in orange blazed across. Tokio Hotel. His short and messy hair flopped down around his ears and hung slightly over his eyes. His eyes, today a shade of nearly molten gold, fit perfectly into his tanned face. His jeans fit his legs, accentuating every detail of his finely formed muscles. The stud in his ear was a silvery white. His fit frame was resting on his arm, which was leaning on the wall. Between his - _amazing, handsome _- body and the wall, another form was resting.

Lydia Lyson had her blond hair in a long shoulder ponytail. Her eyelids were heavy with green eyeshadow. Her freckled face was neatly scrubbed, and she was wearing a lowcut pink shirt with blue demin shorts. Compared to Lydia's glamourous look, Caitlyn felt not quite so pretty as she had before.

Thoughts flooded her mind. How long had they been here? What were they saying? Would they notice her? Hopefully they wouldn't. Caitlyn screwed up her eyes and turned away, pained. She should have claimed Kai long before. Opening her eyes, she turned to watch them again, curiousity getting the better of her.

Lucky Caitlyn was just in time to see Kai lean down and press his lips against those of Lydia. She wrapped her slender arms around him and Caitlyn noticed her height compared to his. Kai was 5 foot 9, pretty much a little too hard for Caitlyn to reach up and kiss. Tough she was pretty proud she had almost reached 5"4 this morning. Not so difficult anymore. But Lydia was probably even 5"7. A much better for match up for Kai. But as they said, opposites attract. Hopefully.

_Don't make out, don't make out, _Caitlyn prayed silently. But hey, they were both fifteen and one of them was kinda a slut. So poor Caitlyn had to watch them 'suck face', to transfixed from the sight of Kai to look aside.

His lips were touching hers, moving into hers. She was bending into him. They were perfectly aligned. He was probably trying to stick his tongue down her throat. Hopefully not. Lydia pulled herself up around his neck and Caitlyn couldn't bear it any longer.

She turned, slipped and fell, causing multiple pans to fall and land on the ground, making a echoing noise that rung loudly. Hoping they wouldn't notice (Haha, sure) she tried to creep away to the door. She had almost made it out when Edward's panicked face came into view from the other side and he trapped her in. Caitlyn stomped her foot, but Ed kept trying to push in.

"Caitlyn?" Kai's voice rang out across the empty café.

_Shit. Shittttt. _Caitlyn inflated her cheeks in frustration, glared at Edward and turned to face Kai, who had come out of the kitchen, a smile plastered on her face, "Oh, sorry. Alphonse flew off my shoulder and knocked off the pans."

"You're here early..." Said Kai, with a furtive glance towards the kitchen. His eyes just flickered every-so-slightly, and Caitlyn realized that she wasn't supposed to notice.

"Yeah, I got an idea about, y'know, what's going on and stuff... We still haven't told you what Ed found out about how you and Jacob got in there," Caitlyn said evasively. She didn't want him to know the real reason she had come.

"I have something to tell you about that day as well..." Kai started, looking down.

Edward made it in at that moment, eyes wild. Liam was in instantly after him. They both looked like they had received a horrible fright. Kai looked over them quickly and said, "Take the corner table."

In response to Caitlyn's pleading look, Kai ran a hand through his messy hair, "I guess I'll join you when I can?"

At that precise moment, Una Brown ambled into the kitchen. She shot a knowing look over the group of teenagers and said, "The store isn't open yet," in such a song-like voice that everyone relaxed at once.

Una flipped the sign on the door to say open, and Kai passed them all menus while advising them to try some new peanut butter and cranberry muffin special. Caitlyn couldn't concentrate, so instead she just shot looks around to see if she could catch a glimpse of the dreaded Lydia Lyson.

Liam brought her attention back with a slight cough. Caitlyn apologized and turned to face him, "Yeah?"

"I think maybe we should organize our thoughts, like make a list of what we need to do."

Before Caitlyn could even process the statement, Edward interjected, "Wait for Gem, Haley and Kai first. I'm sure they need to hear us as well. I know you hate repeating things."

Liam rolled his eyes and helped himself to a muffin.

--

The glass door clanged open and Gem hurried in. Her hair was perfectly groomed and everything about her seemd to be maximized to the fullest. She grabbed the seat beside Ed, and he quickly primped his messy blond hair. Gem stifled a laugh. She was dressed in analogous shades of green, blazing her department out to anyone sitting nearby. Even her flip-flops were green.

"Have you seen Haley?" Liam asked nervously, tapping his thin fingers on the table. Gemma shook her head resignedly, and they went back to staring at the table.

Edward opened his mouth to compliment Gemma on her hair when the door opened again, and a thin black-haired figure slipped inside. His mouth was wide open and his eyes were panicked. He had loose jeans and white sneakers, with a baby blue polo over a black T-shirt. Coming over to their table and plunking himself on the padded seat beside Liam and Caitlyn, Haley stammered, "There's- There's trouble at the bookshop. There's a thief that wants something! We need to do something!"

Caitlyn fretted, truly feeling bad for him, and patted his hair down ligtly. She did her beautiful frown thing and said, "That's awful. But isn't that the police's job?"

Liam and Ed nodded, but Haley shook his head, "No- The police can't handle this!"

"Then why do you think we can?" Gemma asked quizzically, leaning across the wooden table to him and nearly smushing a good number of muffins.

Haley swallowed, and when he spoke, his voice was rapid and nervous, "This person - this thief. They can control shadows. It's one of the Endowed!"

"That's more urgent than finding the flyer," Gem remarked to Edward, and told Haley that they would explain everything when Kai could get to them ( At Caitlyn's reminder). So they all settled down to wait.

When they had sighed what seemed to be the 375th collective sigh that day, a tinkle on the bell above the door made them look up. Entering was a tall boy, with a slightly Polish looking face.

His head was narrow, and his cheekbones stuck out in an attractive way. His nose was slanted just right against the incline of his face. His chin tapered into an almost sharp point. His eyes were set back slightly, and his ears were at the right position on his head. The boy's wary green eyes contrasted perfectly with his ashy grey hair. It was spiked down across his faces as bangs on one side of his face, and on the other in was spiked off to the side. The back also stood out, and it reminded Caitlyn of one of those manga drawings. Emerald studs dotted his right ear, as well as a few gold hoops. His right eyebrow was pierced twice, and he had a snakebite piercing on his mouth.

His body was slim and narrow, and the clothes he was wearing were slim-fitted. He wore a thin black T-shirt with a pink striped light-material shirt overtop. His black jeans were low-down and a chain hung from his white belt.

His pale hands were covered with gold and silver rings, and he wore white and black Circa lowrider shoes. All in all, he had the general appearence of 'cool'. Caitlyn couldn't take her eyes off of him.

"Hey! Lyson!" The boy called, lounging against the wall. Caitlyn would have estimated him to be fifteen or sixteen, "Hurry up! Your Dad busted his ass off to get the guy to give him fishing rights. If you don't fucking come out of there, he's going to murder you!"

Lydia's annoyed call wafted in from the kitchen, "God, Kendrenski. Just because your father thinks my father should go fishing with him doesn't mean I have to go!"

"Uh," The boy started, "Yeah, it kinda does. Get your ass out here. I dislike you just as much as you hate me, and I'd rather get this over with. The later we wait, the heavier traffic's gonna get. That's more time in the van with me. I'd like to get to the fishing spot and just chill, y'know?"

"Fine!" Screeched Lydia, "I'm coming! I call shotgun though!"

Sighing, the boy ambled over to Caitlyn's table. He looked more mature than Kai due to their different styles. The boy looked far more inapproachable.

"Iszak. Iszak Kendrenski. Sorry if I'm bothering you, I don't think Lyson's gonna be coming out for awhile," Iszak said, somewhat exasperated.

"Oh. Uhm," Squeaked Caitlyn, trying to think of something to say.

"Gemma. Gemma Torsson. Those people are Edward Bone, Haley Yewbeam, Liam Gunn and Caitlyn Sage," Gemma saved Caitlyn's life as she gestured to her friends around the table.

"Lydia's in the kitchen with Kai," Was all Caitlyn managed to say.

Iszak shot her a knowing look, then frowned, "Torsson? Bone? So you guys are Endowed?"

Swallowing, Caitlyn nodded slowly.

Iszak's mouth opened slightly as if he was trying to think of something to say. Then a grin spread acorss his face as he replied, "Cool! What can you do?'

"I-Illusions..."

"That's cool," Iszak flashed her the most dazzling smile and Caitlyn began to babble whenever she opened her mouth.

"I fly," Said Gem flatly, "I think you're having a pretty bad influence on Caitlyn."

Caitlyn blushed and thwaped her friend on the arm, "Of course not! You come her often then... Iszak?"

"Now that I know you guys do, yeah," Iszak chuckled, running spindly fingers through his carefully worked hair.

"KENDRENSKI!" Lydia was at the door, barking like a rabid dog. Iszak got up, waved and sauntered off.

Caitlyn just sat there like an idiot and stared after his retreating figure. Absentmindedly, she picked up a ring that had slipped off of his finger onto the table. It was silver with an anarchy symbol on it. She put it into her pocket, unaware of everything going on around her.

"Is she okay?" Asked Kai, who had come from the kitchen to sit beside her.

And everything returned to normal. Kai floated infront of her vision and all thoughts of Iszak Kendrenski had vanished, "Yeah. Fine."

Without further prompting, Haley launched into his narrative, "There was this shape. A black shape. She had these shadows and she controlled them. She like, moved them around and they crept in the windows and took stuff. That's why I went home early. There's an Endowed person and we have to find out who it is and how to stop them!"

"I can ask my Dad if he knows anything about that kinda of talent," Edward said, "But when I was eavesdropping, they said something about Tristan. They said something about a flyer. My mom - my mom said that Gemma had a brother."

Gem frowned, but Kai interjected, "There was this voice in the wall. It led me and Jacob Tilpin out of the corridors. It didn't come with us - it said that inside was safer."

Caitlyn remembered something, "When Ed was listening to Audrey and Ezekiel! Ezekiel said that Jacob and Kai had been put there to keep them out of Audrey's way. Jacob because he had too much control. Audrey must be doing something, she must have a plot. Ezekiel asked her to drown someone! Kai, can't you ask Jacob Tilpin what he knows?"

Liam pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, "I think the shadow problem is the most urgent."

As Liam scribbled down the first item on the list, Haley ventured forth, "It sounds like figuring out who the voice in the wall is second. and why they're there."

"When we know that, we can figure out more about Audrey and who she wants to drown," Kai added.

"What about 'the flyer' and Gem's 'brother'?' Edward asked, straining to see Liam's list.

"They should come last," Gem said reluctantly, "Audrey is more important. Someone could die!"

Liam nodded and shoved the list into the centre of the table. It read:

_1. Deal with the shadow controller - figure out who it could be and how to stop them._

_2. Find the voice in the wall again and ask it questions._

_3. Learn more about Audrey._

_4. Figure out who the flyer is and who Gem's brother is._

"I should go," Edward said as he looked at his watch, "Can we meet here tomorow?"

"Can't," Said Kai nervously, "I have a date."

"It's restocking day," Haley added.

"Essay on History," Caitlyn informed them.

Gemma rolled her eyes as she added, "I'm gonna go flying around the city to see what I can discover."

Ed groaned, "Fine, fine. But everybody think about these things and we'll talk on Monday."

They left the table as one, pushing in their chairs and heading towards the door. Kai hung back, waving cheerily as he threw on an apron to help the other guests. Edward and Liam headed as one to Ed's house where they could watch Sweeney Todd in the privacy of his room. Gemma tagged along with them, much to Ed's delight. Caitlyn walked to the bookstore with Haley, who was planning on making sandwiches. The day dragged on slowly, none of them wanting to enter Sunday.

--

* * *

**OMFG**

**TOOK SO LONG TO WRITE D:**

**I kept staring at it willing it to write itself, plus I had exams.**

**Sorry for the crappy ending of this chappy. I needed it finished so badly.**

**Mizz Reviewer- A Lydia Lyson plushie that screeches.**

**Shadow- You were wrong but you still get a Tristan plushie.**

**Storms- Ed plushie that runs around screaming stuff about zits.**

**Dot- A Iszak plushie that grins and waggles his eyebrows, as well as a Haley plushie that looks at you shyly.**

**SHOMG DOTCIKI. YOU ARE THE BEST! -glomphuggles-**

**Really.**

**I have to go check out your wonderful oneshot.**

**-smushes Roy plushie-**

**And review Butterfly again.**

**BUT EXAMS ARE OVAHHH!**

**May I'll be inspired just a tad more.**

**Thank you everyone :3**

_This chapter goes to **ShadowRose** for being the newest one of the bandwagon._

**I hope you all enjoy this new chapter. I am planning to make this book 24 chapters long. Just so I can make a sequel -winks-**

**Go crazy.**

**The voice in the wall IS NOT Emma Tolly**

**Tristan's father IS NOT Asa Pike.**

**o: o: o:**

**Love always**

**Eagleh.**

**GRAMMAR ERRORS ARE PERFECTLY EXCUSABLE. THEY'RE PROLLY LOTS. I WAS TIRED D:**


	8. Lifelines

**Lifelines  
(_Sweeney Todd_ says 'Hi')**

"_It's thicker, like vicar. No it's grocer - it's green!"_

"_Stop singing!"_

**_Thwap_**

"_Hey! Who hit me with a pillow!"_

"_She did!"_

"_Edward! I did _not_!"_

"_Hah! Gemma likes Liam, Gemma likes-"_

_**Pow**_

"_AGH! My eye!"_

"_Serves you right!"_

"_Are you kids okay up there!?"_

"_Fine, dad!"_

"_Are you sure? Is Gemma still alive?"_

"_I'm alright, Mr.Bone!"_

_**Thwap**_

"_LIAM!"_

"_You hit me first!"_

"_It was _friggin_ Edward!"_

"_..Oh."_

_**Thwap**_

"_OW!"_

_--_

"_Sweeney Todd_ says 'Hi'" Was all Gemma could think of to tell Kai on the green bus. Kai frowned at her and then chuckled.

"It's rated R, you know. For mature audiences only," He poked her shoulder, a good-natured glint in his deep golden eyes. As much as she stared at him, Gem couldn't figure out what Caitlyn saw in him. Sure, Kai was hot - nothing compared to Edward, of course - but there was no amazing thing about him.

"Psh," Gemma brushed it off as she looked out the window and the fast-approaching Bloor's Academy, "The only scarring bit was Liam's singing."

"Holy _crap_!" Kai sat up with a start, all of his expression rigid, "I nearly forgot! Can you tell Caitlyn to stay the hell away from the Kendrenski guy. He's a _serious_ player. He's gonna hurt her or something."

Gem frowned and looked Kai over. His worried expression seemed completely honest, yet, "Kai, are you stupid or what?"

"Huh?" Kai asked, confused.

"The business about Caitlyn," She sighed. How hard was it for him to notice? Sure, boys were stupid, but she had been a whole lot less obvious with Edward and he had noticed eventually.

"I just don't want her getting hurt," Kai's eyes were truely befuddled.

Gem slapped him lightly, "Yeah, 'cause you're definately the best judge of _that_."

Kai was starting to get angry now, Gem could see that. It was her fault - she wasn't being very clear with him. But honestly, he was stupid. Taking a deep breath, she quickly added, "It's obvious that you like her."

"I hate a date with Lydia Lyson yesterday!" Kai protested, holding up both hands in a gesture of innocence.

"You went invisible and dumped Coke on a guy's head because he insulted her," Gem said, in that flat tone of voice she had so well perfected.

"So?" Kai asked, but a flush had come very faintly to his cheeks.

"Look, Kai..." Gem sighed, and this time her voice was serious, "The only way Caitlyn would end up with Izsak Kendrenski is if you didn't want her."

--

"Hey Kai! Hey Ed!" Caitlyn walked over, tossing her long mocha curls behind her shoulder. She hated dressing in the school uniform, but she could look good while doing it.

"Hey Caitlyn," Kai looked aside slightly, not meeting her eyes. He kept on walking straight ahead, polite but firm. His message was clear - he didn't want to talk at that moment.

Edward rolled his eyes and brushed stray hair out of his face, "Have a good Sunday, Caitie?"

Caitlyn frowned. She didn't like it when people called her Caitie. She let Edward do it - it was his friendly petname for her - but she wished Kai would. He gave her this talk about respecting her wishes, but it would have meant more to her if he had called her Caitie.

"Fine," She mumbled, and they shared a moment of companionable silence.

Lydia Lyson broke it. She flounced up to Caitlyn, her blond hair blowing in the wind. Her eyes were alight with some strange emotion. Maybe it was happiness that Caitlyn would finally be out of her way, "Kendrenski wants me to get your phone number for him!"

Somewhere up above, Kai stiffened. Caitlyn noticed this and let a tinge of smugness cross her face. She turned to Lydia happily, "You have something to write it down on?"

Lydia nodded and produced a sheet of wrinkled lined paper and a pen from her pocket, "Go ahead."

"613-826-0901" Caitlyn told her, "I live at number 12, Beechline road, at the base of The Heights. Tell him he's free to visit anytime."

Lydia nodded again, still not noticing that Kai was turning more into a statue with each passing second. He clenched his fists and turned away when Edward ambled up to him, "You okay?"

"I don't like the thought of her dating Kendrenski..." Kai muttered through gritted teeth.

Edward attempted a grin, stuffing his hands into his pocket, "I'm sure she doesn't like the thought of you dating Lyson either."

Kai looked at him strangely, and Ed could see pure confusement in Kai's brown eyes as he murmured, "But it's not the same thing..."

"I don't understand what you mean..." Edward said, though a logical solution was starting to present itself in his mind, "Wait, you mean..."

"You won't tell, will you?" Kai pleaded, somewhat desperate, "I like her but she doesn't like me. So what's the point?"

--

There was a special presentation that morning. The drama class had apparently been working all last week for a series of short little skits. Some of the music students, including Edward, Audrey and Lydia, had been chosen to provide music for the piece. Edward spent the first few minutes warming up on his saxophone as he listened to the crowd talk restlessly. He played a few tunes, ranging from Beethoven's 9th to _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,_ and finished off with music from _Pirates of the Caribbean. _Audrey was sitting next to him, her steel-blond hair in a bun as she played her clarinet. Lydia sat on the other side of the room polishing her flute. Edward planned to watch her and Kai.

What Kai said had been completely idiotic, but it wasn't like Ed could tell him that. It was obvious that Caitlyn liked him, and Kai was so blind he couldn't see it. They were perfect for each other.

Then the curtains opened and the auditorium game into veiw. Edward searched the crowd for Kai and found him and Haley watching from the back. Haley had decided not to be in this presentation, as he had missed a day because of the shop.

Then Caitlyn flounced onstage and began her dramatization of the beautiful but wicked villian. Edward toodled away on his saxophone as Lydia warbled on her flute. When a break came for the musicians, he took the time to look at Kai. The brown-haired boy was watching, riveted. Edward noticed his eyes were fixed on Caitlyn.

Unfortunately, Lydia noticed that too.

Edward sighed. It was going to be a long day.

--

Gemma was the second to arrive at their meeting place, the old stump. She mvoed flamboyantly, her golden curls bouncing in perfect time with her slender body. The first to arrive was Kai. He was sitting on the stump with his eyes wide open.

And he was glaring. Kai glaring was never ever a good sign.

Liam came to stand beside her, hands pushed forecefully into his pockets. There was some unseen tension between all of them today. Something almost forceful.

Edward was the last to arrive, his blond hair spiked and slicked casually. He was looking as good as ever, Gemma noticed. Except for that large zit on his forehead.

Honestly, he should use ProActin.

Caitlyn didn't arrive, and neither did Haley, a fact which made everyone uncomfortable. Something was up.

"So I talked to my dad about shadow powers," started Edward, looking slightly less uncomfortable than he felt, "And apparently there was this Naren Bloor person who could control shadows. Except she used them to send messanges."

"So you think that- "stared Liam, catching on.

"Mmm," Edward nodded, "I think that this shadow theif is related to her."

"No way," Kai started, but he didn't really mean it, "So this Naren person has a son?"

"Or a daughter," Gemma chastised him, then paused, "Did you say... Bloor?"

Edward nodded slowly, "Yeah... She was the daughter of Bartholomew Bloor, a good Bloor."

"Pfft," Kai glared, recovering from his abashed look, "No Bloors are good."

"Yeah," agreed Liam, "This Naren Bloor chick is probably training her kid for evil or something."

Gemma nodded, "I mean, she was stealing..."

Encouraged by his support, Kai went on, "We need to get rid of these shadow people."

"Hold on!" Edward yelled, surprising them all. He quieted down once they turned towards him, eyes wide. He bit his lip and ran a hand through his messy blond hair selfconciously.

"I wasn't finished. Dad says Naren helped him. So I think that maybe Naren had a child and that child can control shadows. But I don't know anything about why she wants something from Ingledew's. Dad and I are going to visit Naren next Saturday."

They all nodded slowly, agreeing quietly. As much as they all wanted to solve these problems, they had a certain reluctance in going through the actions. Kai ran a hand through his floppy brown hair, in a much more suave style than Edward. "So what about the voice in the wall?"

"Maybe one of us could like, get detention or something," volunteered Edward.

"I already have it," Kai said neutrally, "I dropped my books in the hall on the way to the drama assembly. But I dunno if I can find the voice again."

"What's up?" Caitlyn's voice drifted towards them. She flipped her cell shut and put it into her pocket. She met Gemma and Liam's confused stares and sighed, offering 'Izsak' as an explination.

Gemma exploded, "You ditched us to talk to Izsak! Honestly, you just met the guy. You don't seem to care at all about anything here; you're too busy worrying about your stupid relationship status. You're acting like such a bitch now. You'd probably just spend your whole detention IMing this new guy, anyways."

"Gemma-" Caitlyn asked, completely surprised. She hadn't known how much of a snob she'd been.

Gemma turned away, refusing to talk to her.

Kai met Caitlyn's eyes for a split second, and then he looked away. He bit down on his bottom lip, tapping his foot impatiently. Caitlyn looked at Liam, who fidgeted and dropped her gaze. Only Edward looked at her, and he was obviously uncomfortable.

"Guys?" Caitlyn whispered remorsefully. She looked at them slowly.

"It's alright," Edward murmured, determined to try to work things out, "Kai has detention, so he'll try and find the voice in the wall. Me and maybe Gemma and Liam are going to go see Naren Bloor to see if she is related to anyone with powers like Haley described."

Caitlyn swallowed, "Then I'll get detention too! I'll come with you, Kai, and see if can help you find the voice. It's the least I can do."

Out of the corner of his eye, Edward thought he saw a smile tug at the corner of Gemma's mouth. He was then distracted by Kai's low voice. "I suppose. I mean, help would be great and all..."

Gemma looked at Kai, sure that he was imagining the awkward situation in his head. She looked back at Caitlyn, determined to make things right and spend some time with her crush. She looked at both of them, both completely oblivious to each other, and she sighed.

Everyone was so damn thick.

--

It was night, and Edward was trying to fall asleep. Liam was beside him snoring, and the Gunn boy was pretty loud. Ed shifted from side to side, trying to find a good position, when a strange light filtered in through the window.

He looked up nervously at the strange lights that were dancing on the wall opposite him. Dark blots seemed to move around, forming shapes and- words?"

'Hello, Edward' said the shadows.

--

Charlie Bone was worried. Worried because his wife was sick and possibly delusional. Worried because the Bloors were up to something again. Worried because Edward was too concerned with his zits to fix a simple problem.

"Charlie?" asked Olivia weakly, grasping for Charlie's hand.

Charlie squeezed her hand comfortingly and pulled the thermometer out of her mouth, checking the temperature. It hadn't changed. He shifted the ice that was on her forehead, and tucked a hair behind her ear after it had blown away from the air from the fan. He leaned down and kissed her gently, murmuring that it would be all right.

"So, what did you see?" he asked, sitting in a chair beside the bed.

"I just looked out the window," Olivia murmured, "I saw... I forget. I didn't know. I screamed and ran outside, then I ran into Gemma's brother..."

"Gemma's brother," asked Charlie awkwardly, "Do you remember his name?"

Olivia nodded and pulled Charlie close to her before whispering the name in his ear.

"Tristan."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Don't flame me for finally updating. I'm sure you all needed to read this xD

So now you know who Tristan's parents are.

Oooh.

Excitingness.

And Naren trying to contact Edward, eh?

So Gemma showed a bit of her temper and I showed another shot of the adults, like someone asked.

**Plushie Time**

DotCiki gets a Caitlyn plushie with a IHATELYDIA FANCLUB FOR LYDIA HATERS badge.

Storms-Are-My-Nature gets a Gemma plushie. When you squeeze it, she yells at Caitlyn.

ShadowRose gets a Charlie Bone plushie that squeaks and warbles and rambles on about Olivia.

So, **review**, nya? That is, if you still care about my fic.

Much love,

-Eagleh.

_This chapter is dedicated to **me** cuz I wrote it xD_


	9. Claustrophobia

**Claustrophobia**

claus - tro - pho - bi - a (klaw-_struh_-**foh**-be-_uh)_

-noun

an abnormal fear of being in enclosed or narrow places

(Origin: 1875-1880; _L Claustr(um) bolt_)

_i'm like a rookie parademic to a siren_

_praying for an accident..._

--

**To:** Izsak Kendrenski

**From:** Caitlyn Sage

_Time Sent: 9:11 pm._

Sorry cant make it saturday. i got detention.

-

**To:** Caitlyn Sage

**From:** Izsak Kendrenski

_Time Sent: 9:15 pm._

No problem. maybe ill see you on sunday?

-

**To:** Izsak Kendrenski

**From:** Caitlyn Sage

_Time Sent: 10:01 pm._

Sure.

--

The tension in the room was stifling. Tancred Torsson was sitting on the red (sorry, _burgundy_) sofa. Lysander was seated bside him, and both of them were watching Charlie strangely. The hedge-haired man was pacing back and forth, his dark eyes flashing. Every once in awhile he would stop as if he was about to say something, but then he would shake his head and go back to pacing.

Tancred and Lysander were slightly curious, if not scared. Lysander had the feeling this wasn't as much about him as it was about Tancred. He tapped his feet on the ground, shooting furtive glances at both of them. Charlie had better start something soon.

Tancred pulled on his tie. He had just come home from work when Charlie had called them on a late night meeting. Tancred worked from 11 to 9, and now it was 10 o' clock. Charlie had never called a meeting this late before, and Tancred was nervous.

He opened his mouth to ask what it was all about at the same time Lysander prepared to ask how Olivia was. Before either of them could say something, Charlie swiveled around and glared at Tancred. "Explain."

"Explain what?" asked Tancred, confused. A sinking feeling was growing in his stomach.

"Tristan," Charlie's tone was chilling.

Lysander looked confused, taking in Charlie's awful expression and the pained look an Tancred's face.

"Tristan..." he murmured.

"Who's Tristan?" asked Lysander, leaning forward from his position on the sofa.

"My son," Tancred said slowly.

Charlie grimaced in triumph. "How come we never knew about him? How come he doesn't look like you or Emma? How come the Bloors have him?"

"Tristan Calling?" Lysander asked, remembering the fiery-haired boy at Bloor's.

Tancred nodded. "It was a time when we were on vacation. Emma had Tristan and everything was fine. We didn't tell you yet, we wanted it to be a surprise. Besides, you were all busy with your own children or plans. When Emma was pregnant with Gem, we noticed that Tristan had a special talent. He could pinpoint the location of any talent. So if a storm occured, he would know if it was me. He would be able to tell. If you went into a picture nearby, he would know. The Bloor's saw this, and they wanted him. We refused to give them Tristan. So they took Emma only a bit after she had given birth to Gemma. They said they would kill her if we didn't give them Tristan. At this time, we weren't talking much to you guys. I had to give in. I gave them Tristan, but they broke their promise and didn't give Emma back. She works for them now, doing whatever they say, scared that they will hurt Tristan."

It was Lysander who broke the silence. "Why didn't you say something earlier? We could have rescued them by now."

"No," said Tancred mournfully. "No, we couldn't."

"Why?" Charlie prodded.

"They're too powerful. If we had even tried anything, Emma would be dead. And now Tristan doesn't even want to come back," Tancred moaned.

"Does Tristan know?" Lysander asked, trying to be the voice of reason.

Tancred shook his head. "He's grown up with the Bloors. He's... content."

"What about his flame red hair, or the beasts that he draws?" Charlie asked.

"They told him his father was Asa Pike. They told him Asa could become a beast, and that he might have that power as well. He draws the beasts so that he has a link to his supposed father, and that he might be able to turn into one. As more hair colour... his natural colour is blond. If he had blond hair and skin like mine, as his is just a little paler, don't you think he might figure it out? They also slip this potion thing into his drinks to colour his eyes... something Ezekiel came up with."

"That's awful," Charlie hissed. "You should do something!"

"He's happy," Tancred shot back. "He likes where he is."

"What about Emma?" Lysander asked him.

"Her memory is gone again. Not hypnotism, but another potion Ezekiel brewed up. I could never convince her to come with me even if I did find her," Tancred explained.

"Sounds like the Bloors kinda screwed you over, mate," Charlie said sadly, anger burning inside of him. How dare they hurt his friend.

Tancred nodded, "Yeah..."

--

"I had the weirdest dream last night," Edward told Liam as the two sat down with their food at a table.

"Mhm?" incited Liam, dutifully forking his sausage over to Edward's plate.

"There were these shadows on the wall sending me messages. Crazy, eh?" Edward said, looking disgustedly at his breakfast.

Liam shrugged as he nibbled at his toast, "I dunno, mate. Are dreams crazy?"

Edward looked at his friend thoughtfully. "Then I thought 'what if this isn't a dream?'. Maybe Naren is trying to send me a message."

"Maybe," Liam said as he smothered the remainder in strawberry jam to hide the stale taste, "Do you remember what the shadows said?"

Shaking his head, Edward sighed, "Only the first bit. They said 'Hello, Edward' and then they said 'Save him'. After that, everything gets blurry."

"Well, it was late," Liam said in an effort to console his friend.

Edward grinned and punched him playfully, "Not to mention that you were snoring!"

--

Music passed by quickly and break wasn't anything special. The sun wasn't shining and the sky was grey. Mostof the kids seemed somewhat dismal, and the ones that weren't dismal were dreary.

"Ruin game tonight," announced Haley cheerful as he sat beside Kai on the stump.

"Bad conditions for it," grumbled Edward, standing beside Gemma.

"It's cold," complained Gemma, and a blush lit up her cheeks as Edward pressed against her in an attempt to keep her warm.

"The ruins can be scary at night," Liam added from his standing position beside Haley.

Kai chuckled, "Scared, Liam?"

"N-No!" Liam babbled at him, "I just don't like the ruins!"

"It's alright," Gemma interjected, "I don't like the ruins either. I get claustrophobic."

"They have pills for that, y'know," Caitlyn said as she flipped her cellphone shut. The action was met by five pointed glares. Caitlyn threw her hands in the air. "Honestly! I was just checking the time!"

Laughs went through the air, echoing around the trees and bouncing off of the crumbling wall near them. Edward was laughing with the rest of them, but out of the corner of his eye, he though he saw disbelief and pain in Kai's eye.

--

The King's Room was quiet as the kids shuffled in. Everyone knew that the balance was tipped in the favour of Patrick, and the good children were trying to stay out of trouble. The Bloors had heard of the escape of Kai and Jacob and they visibly tensed as the two afore-mentioned endowed walked into the room. Kai sat beside Jacob at the top of the table to divide the sides there, and Audrey and Edward sat side by side down at the bottom.

"So, Tilpin, Brown," growled Patrick. "Feel like explaining how you got out of the tunnels?"

Jenna and Dominic looked up curiously. Tristan kept staring at his work. Audrey seemed to perk up a little.

Kai opened his mouth before shutting it quickly. The voice was obviously scared of the Bloors, so Kai wouldn't say anything to get it in trouble.

"I see," Patrick hissed icily, shooting a hateful glare at Kai. He then turned to Jacob. "What about you, Jacob? How did you get out?"

Jacob narrowed his eyes and then did something that made Kai tense. Edward sneaked a glance under the table to see that Jacob had grabbed Kai's hand. The little boy began to speak, "You... You hurt me, Patrick. You don't care about me at all!"

"It was done for your own good," hissed Patrick angrily.

"You put fire in my head and Dom beat me up!" yelled Jacob, still managing to sound intimidating despite his small stature. For a moment, Edward wondered how Jacob knew about that, before realizing Kai had probably told the boy. Would Jacob tell Patrick that Edward had eavesdropped on the conversation?

Patrick's tone became icy, "And how would you know about that?"

Edward sucked in his breath and Kai did the same. He could see Gemma and Caitlyn also tensing as they waited for Jacob to answer. "I have my sources," he growled, and Edward sighed a sigh of relief.

A strange feeling arose in Edward's stomach, like butterflies churning their wings. For a moment, all he wanted to do was lean forward and wretch. First he thought someone's endowment had caused some strange pain, but when he noticed the stricken looks on everyone else's face, he realized it wasn't only him feeling the pian. Then it lessened and a warm rushing feeling came through him, bubbling through his veins. It seemed to harden and lava surged through him. Then the butterflies ceased and the pain was over. It had all taken less than a second.

The power had balanced.

Jacob had switched sides.

Audrey got up angrily, her blond hair floating in the air as if she was in the middle of the ocean. Her voice was icy as she hissed, "I will tell father. Jacob, you are going to be in so much trouble."

"I don't care what Uncle thinks!" Jacob retaliated, and Edward realized the two of them were cousins. So unless Joshua Tilpin had had a hidden sister, Audrey's mother was Inez Branko...

"He'll drown you for leaving us!" Audrey snapped back, confirming Edward's fears. From the look on Gemma's face, she had figured it out as well.

"There's nothing good on your side!" Jacob spat. "At least now I have a _friend_!"

Kai blanched as he looked from Audrey to Jacob and back again.

"Kai," intoned Audrey sweetly, "Be a good boy and tell Jacob to come back to his family."

Kai growled and clenched Jacob's hand even tighter, an urge to protect the kid coming over him. "No."

"What did you say!?" shrieked Audrey angrily, and a dizzying blue began to enter the room.

Sea green stole over the room. Patrick looked like he wanted to get up and say something, but the words were getting caught in his throat. The black shadows of mollusks formed on the wall and Edward was nervous again. Last time had been scary enough; but what if they actually drowned this time?

"Honestly, Audrey," came Jenna's bored tone. "He's _Jacob_. He'll come back to his senses in no time."

"Audrey!" Kai yelled, and Edward found it was slightly easier to breathe. He couldn't muster up the energy to talk, and he vaguely wondered how Kai could. "Audrey, stop it!"

Caitlyn closed her eyes and concentrated really hard. Kai appeared- except it wasn't Kai. It was an illusion, though every detail of it was perfect. It walked up to Audrey, grabbed her by the shoulders and murmured something in her ear.

The drowning stopped. Audrey looked flabbergasted. The illusion disappeared. Kai gaped at Caitlyn.

"That was an illusion!?" Audrey yelled. Caitlyn nodded, and Ed couldn't help but notice that even Patrick looked grateful to Caitlyn.

"Calm down, Audrey," Jenna said, still with the same bored tone. "We aren't here to kill anyone... yet," she added, with a sneer.

"What did I- me- it- say?" Kai asked Caitlyn, frowning.

Caitlyn just grinned at him.

"Back to work," said Patrick in a scathing tone. A shot of fire scorched the ceiling, and everyone immediately turned to their work.

--

It was dark out when they were ushered outside for the ruin game. Clouds were still covering the sky, and only a hint of moonlight could be seen. The ruins were like a large black ink blot against the already dark sky. It was cold out, and a few drops of rain pitter-pattered as they hit the pavement.

Gemma clung onto Edward as he wrapped an arm around her, both of them fighting to keep out the cold. Patrick was standing in the middle of a field of lanterns, explaining the game rules. Edward held onto the girl beside him, resting her head against his chest. His arms were around her, the rain beating a mantra in his head. _Just friends... just friends... just friends..._

To hell with his mantra.

"Hey, Gemma?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, Ed?" she raised her head questioningly to look up at him.

He lost his nerve."You nervous? I know you get claustrophobic..."

"Mmm," Gemma mumbled. "I'm fine..."

Only a few people away from them was Caitlyn. She was chatting with Liam and Haley, all three of them watching Kai and Lydia out of the corner of their eye. Kai was chatting with her, making a few jokes and she laughed with him. The two of them looked like a good couple, and Caitlyn would be happy for him if Lydia wasn't always in her face all the time and if she wasn't such a _slut_.

"You coming with us to look for the medal then, Caitlyn?" Liam asked, the only emotion in his voice the pure current of friendship.

Caitlyn could have hugged him there and then as she saw no trace of pain in his eyes. A grin drew across her face, "Are we clear now, Liam?"

He grinned back. "Definately."

Gemma had also been spying on the spectacle that was Kai and Lydia. She snorted and looked up at Edward before frowning at the sky. "There's barely any moonlight. The Bloors must be crazy or something."

"You just figured that out?" Edward chuckled, though his voice was bleak. His eyes met hers and they stayed like that until a pattering of feet around them signified the start of the game.

Gemma forced a grin back at him and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards one of the openings. They dove deep into the twisting maze of ruins, Ed sticking close to Gemma in case she got scared. The moon rose through the sky and time passed quickly; yet each moment was accentuated by a pulsing heartbeat. Terror coursed through them at the same time as excitement; each turn bringing with it the suspense of the chase. Would they find the medal, or would they find themselves heading deeper into the dark maze?

"Edward!"

The cry resounded through the air, and suddenly Edward was aware Gemma was no longer by his side; her warm hand was no longer nestled in his. "Gemma!?"

"Over here! Edward!" her voice came again, and Edward followed it back towards a side tunnel he had skimmed by. He ducked in, fighting his way through the narrow enclosure.

"I'm scared, Edward!" he could see her now, her thin frame trembling. She was in a small room; a dead-end. The roof was complete, with only a slight bit of moonlight trickling in through a crack in the corner. He turned his flashlight on her. Gemma's own light had been dropped on the ground and the impact had caused the light to flutter and die.

"I'm here, Gem!" he called to reassure her.

"The walls are coming closer," she dropped her voice to a whisper since he had arrived, "I'm trapped. The walls are so close."

Edward arroved beside her, his hands slipping around her and pulling her close to him. She whimpered into his thick sweater, tears staining the front. Her hands clutched desperately at his shoulders and the lower strands of his golden locks. It stung, but he did't complain. His hands rubbed her back as he murmured reassurences into her hair. His hands dropped the light, though it stayed on as it hit the stones below. She looked at his face and his concerned eyes before pulling herself up- thankfully using his shoulders as support instead of his hair- and bringing her lips to his.

Edward froze for a moment, but his body relaxed as he returned it. She tasted salty; like tears. Behind that, she had a taste of wind. Her hands were around his neck, and he was just thinking about how soft her lips were when she pulled away.

"Sorry," she mumbled, still wrapped in his arms.

Edward didn't think she had much to apologize for. "Come on," he said gently, "Let's get you out of here."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

I liked that chapter. It explains why Tristan looks so much like Asa; as well as containing a healthy dose of EdGem (which I'm sure you all knew was coming.)

So sorry about the lack of KaiCaitlyn xD.

AND ZOMG I LOVE KAI/JACOB FLUFF.

Plushies, no?

Storms- (oh, you get a nickname lolololol.) a Jacob plushie. If you squeeze his tummy, he goes 'asdflkjh' or 'Kai!'

DotCiki- You get a Kai plushie. Squeeze him and he goes on and on about his love for Caitlyn.

Jaredfan- You get two plushies (o:) Firstly, an Izsak plushie which... doesn't do anything but looks pretty, and secondly, an Audrey plushie. Squeeze and the room lights up blueishly.

I updated fast this time. Yay.

Now it's time for -drumroll- Grade Ten!

**AND I HAS A CONTEST.**

Contest is to make up a non-canon pair (eg. no CaitlynKai, no CaitlynIzsak, no EdGem, no KaiLydia, no KaiJacob...) and write a fluffy oneshot. Min words is 500, max is 1500.

Winner gets a oneshot. Or something else, depending on what they want. A request for the Black Bandit maybe? Something to happen in it? (except for kai killing lydia, Dot)

If you think my prize is fail, then w/e. But you'd also be having fun writing, too. Well, hopefully.

See you guys later!

-Eagleh.

(_Chap dedication is **Jaredfan**_)


	10. Walk on Water or Drown

**Walk on Water or Drown**

_I woke up got my lazy ass out of bed  
I watered all the rocks growing in my head  
I had a thought...and fell asleep on you..._

_There I was somewhere West of Tomorrow Land  
Flying through the stars just like Peter Pan  
I said...Damn this looks too good to be true..._

_There she goes... my heart again (would you mind rolling over)  
I can feel it in the air (something's coming down)  
I don't know and I don't care that it's a small world_

_It's a nice day if you wake up in Disneyland...  
It's a nice day when you wake up in Disneyland..._

_-click._

A tanned finger pressed down hard on the button, causing the radio to momentarily spasm. Smoothing down his frizzy blond hair, Tancred Torsson sighed and turned back to the expectant crowd gathered in his living room.

Lysander and Lauren sat together, his arm around her slim waist. Beside them on the tan sofa, Benjamin and Una were squished in. Benjamin was looking nervous and slightly perplexed. Una was wearing a cheerful smile, but her eyes were worried. Charlie and Olivia occupied the other couch. Olivia was lying down under a thin blanket, still feeling feverish. She was recovering well, but she still couldn't remember what she had seen that day. Billy Raven was sitting on a chair, a worried expression on his face. Owen hadn't been seen for almost two weeks now, and the albino was pretty panicked.

"So, you all know, uhm, about-" Tancred started nervously, hooking his thumbs in his belt and biting down on his lip.

"Just get to the point already, Torsson," huffed Olivia angrily. She usually didn't call him by his last name, but she was angry and in her opinion, he was a bastard.

Lauren tried a more tactful route as she snuggled into Lysander. "We already know the basics, but can you go over it again for us?"

Tancred looked down, his expression brooding. "They took him. They took my son, Tristan. He has a power to detect other powers, and they wanted it. First they took Emma. Then I gave them Tristan. They threatened to kill her. They _threatened to kill my wife_."

As he banged his fist on the cabinet holding the radio, a gust of wind came into, ruffling everyone's hair and displacing the pillows. Lysander narrowed his eyes. "Calm down, Tanc."

"He thinks he's Asa Pike's son. Tristan thinks that he's Asa Pike's soon. They changed his looks, changed his mind. They took him from me, and now they use Emma to carry notes for them. They _use _my wife," Tancred's voice broke, and a sob wracked his body.

Charlie raised his hand to catch a piece of paper that was flying through the air as a result of Tancred's outpouring of emotion. His voice was concerned as he murmured. "Finish the story, Tancred. Finish it."

"The worst part is that Tristan likes it! He wants to be there! We can't rescue him. If we tried, we would lose both of them! It was better when you thought Emma was missing and I never even had a son!" his tone was explosive. Sobs coursed through his body, anger building through him as he punched the wall. "Dammit!"

"Calm down!" this was an order from Lysander, and Billy clutched his head as drumbeats resounded throughout the room.

Tancred gritted his teeth but the gale stopped to just a breeze as the haunting echoes of the drums occupied the room. Charlie leapt up to salvage whatever he could, and Olivia snuggled deeper into the cushions of the sofa. Ben clutched Una tightly, and she looked scared. Lysander and Tancred had graduated before Una had arrived at Bloor's, and she wasn't used to their powers at even half-force.

It was Lauren who tried to rectify the situation. "Maybe we can still save her, Tancred. Maybe we can save her, if not Tristan."

A strange look came over Tancred's face. "You mean go after her. Rescue her, and once we have her, try to rescue him?"

"It was you who said that Tristan didn't want to be rescued," Lauren reminded him as the others watched, wide-eyed, as she calmed him down. "Maybe we should leave him for now..."

"No!" Tancred yelled, and thunder crashed outside. The startled expression on Lauren's face echoed the one on everyone else's. A drumbeat stabbed through the thunder. Tancred and Lysander glared at each other before everything fell silent once again.

"What if," Lauren began thoughtfully, and Tancred turned back to her. "What if we rescued Emma, then the kids tried to make Tristan realize who he is normally. Like, just by talking to him?"

Tancred looked up, a hopeful expression crossing onto his face. He bit his lip again, and it started to bleed. "Do- Do you really think that might work?"

Charlie looked doubtful. He sighed and ran his fingers through Olivia's brown hair as she nestled into him. "They've never had to do something like that before... I doubt Edward could pull it off. Or any of them, for that matter, especially if the Bloors got involved."

Tancred glared at him, eyes wild. "Don't say that! There's a chance, now! Stop dragging me down, Charlie. We can do this. Edward and Gemma can do this."

"Caitlyn and Kai too," added Lysander mildly, trying to discourage Charlie from angering Tancred anymore than he already had. "And Owen-"

The room fell silent. Billy cringed visibly. Evan as an adult, he still retained some of his more childish qualities. When he looked up, his eyes were wide. "I'm so worried about him. They could have him."

"It's true," Benjamin put in. "He's had the Flames going everywhere and looking for Owen. Still no luck."

Right on cue, three cats slipped out from under the sofa. They ran over to Billy's chair, making mewing noises and scratching at the wood with their front paws. Billy looked down keenly beforing returning a mewl. The cats hissed as one at his news before looking at Tancred and mewing frantically. Billy looked up at Tancred, an expression of relief on his face. "They say they'll help us get into Bloor's."

"That's settled then," Una said, though Charlie still wore an expression of doubt. "So when should we attack?"

"Attack?" Olivia asked, raising her head slightly. "That's a crude way too put it."

"What else would you call it?" Lysander pointed out, scratching his head quickly before returning his hand to Lauren's, intertwining his chocolate fingers with her pale ones.

"I say Saturday," Charlie said slowly, accepting the reality of the fight. Inwardly, he groaned. Now he wouldn't get a chance to talk to Naren. Not that it was guarenteed that he would find her anyways. "That way all the kids will be out."

Una looked horrified. "Kai has detention! We'll be putting in the middle of it!"

"The same thing with Caitlyn," added Lauren. Her expression was thoughtful. "I don't want _my daughter_ getting hurt because we're trying to help your son, Tancred."

"I don't want Kai to be hurt..." murmured Benjamin softly. "But we can't attack Sunday. It's too late. They'll feel that we're up to something by then."

"I wish Fidelio was here," Charlie grumbled as Olivia nestled herself into his shirt. She coughed slightly, and Charlie rushed to pat her head and feel her face. "But his concert is today and he left early this morning."

"Mmm," agreed Tancred, speaking up. "But we need to attack soon. Saturday is the safest we can manage."

"What about Caitlyn and Kai!?" Lauren asked, horrified. The colour had drained from her face at the thought of her child in danger. Lysander held her tightly, whispering reasurences in her ear.

"They're endowed, just like we are," he said, stroking her hair. "They can take care of themselves once we attack and look for Emma. Our daughter isn't dumb, and neither is Kai."

"Are you sure?" Una asked nervously, and Ben echoed her question. Tancred bit his lip once more and recoiled from the metallic taste of the blood he had drawn.

Charlie sighed. "They'll be fine. We toughed it out once, and they can do the same. It's time our kids realize that it's their job to protect this city. We can't do it for much longer."

A silence fell over the group of adults, and even Lysander looked nervous. Billy brushed some of his white hair behind his ear as Leo curled up on his lap. The wind picked up again as slight drops of rain hit the window, a result of Tancred's tense condition. Lauren looked scared for her daughter, and Una and Benjamin held each other. Olivia shivered and Charlie pulled the blanket up around her, asking Tancred if he could borrow it for the car ride home.

And so the sun rose higher in the sky as each of the previous generation contemplated what had to be done.

...

...

"No. No. No, no, no no no," snapped Liam, leaning against the locker beside Edward's. "Oh, and that's my final answer."

"What?" asked Edward drowsily, trying to find his history book in the midst of the pile of paper, pens, pencils and... old sandwiches?

"Ugh. Man, that reeks. Toss it here, I'll throw it out," Liam gagged and caught the Ziploc bag as Edward tossed it over his shoulder. He took a couple steps down the hall to put it in the bin before coming back. "Anyways, as I was saying-"

Edward let out a gasp that caught Liam's attention right away. The Gunn boy grumbled curiously, leaning forward to see what had caught his friend's attention. "Ed, what is it?"

"Look," Edward said slowly, holding out a sheet of paper. He uncrumpled it slowly to reveal an amazing drawing of a person. The boy had short blond hair, blue eyes and tanned skin. He was wearing a purple cape and tie, as well as a sly grin on his face. Edward traced the outlines of the body, as well as the short reddish veins below the surface.

Liam frowned. "It's a good drawing- you should be in art, mate- but I don't see what the big deal is. You've drawn people before, right?"

Edward shook his head and said thoughtfully, "Not like this. He's perfect. Everything is connected. All of the muscles, all of the functions. Everyone of his speech mannerisms can function. He would have a pulse, Liam..."

"But you can do that with animals, right?" Liam asked, frowning. He flipped a loose strand of sandy hair away from his eyes.

"Humans are a lot more complicated than animals, Liam," said Edward, still tracing the contours of the body. His eyes glazed over as he stared at it, an expression of concentration on his face.

Liam opened his mouth to speak, but evidently thought better of it. He sighed and waited for Edward to finish whatever he was doing. It bothered him sometimes, the way that Edward had this really cool ability to bring things to life- and not to mention draw amazingly well. It wasn't that he didn't want Edward to have an endowment, but it just made him feel left out sometimes. He sighed once more and leaned back against the cold metal of the locker.

"Oh!" Ed's eyes widened as he looked down at the paper, and he curled his hand into a fist, punching his locker. Liam jerked back, surprised.

"Holy crap, Ed. What was that about?" the brown-haired boy asked nervously, freaked out, as Edward sighed and looked up at him with dark blue eyes.

"It's not done," Edward told him softly. "The boy- he has an endowment, Liam. I must have known what I was doing when I drew this, but now I don't know. I can tell by this thing here that he has one."

Liam peered over to where Edward was pointing, but only saw a mass of blue and purple that he thought might be the brain. He nodded and mumbled something that sounded a lot like 'yeswhateveryousayedward'

Edward gave him a funny look before turning back to the drawing. He shifted, putting a knee down on the ground instead of squatting. An angry expression came over his face as he tapped another spot on the paper. "I must have been interrupted when I drew this. It isn't finished. Unless I finish it, he won't have an endowment."

"So how come you can't finish it?" asked Liam.

"Weren't you listening? I forget how," Edward growled. "I don't remember drawing it, but I must have known what I was doing when I drew it. Now, who knows how long later, I find it again at the bottom of my locker. If I can just figure out how to finish him, we could have a valuable ally on our side."

"Are you serious?" Liam gaped. "So if you remember how to 'draw' this guy's endowment, then you could bring him to life and he could help us against the Bloor's?"

Edward nodded, running a hand through his curly blond hair and biting his lip. He looked wistfully at the drawing, taking a purple pencil crayon out of his pocket. It was one of the ones he always carried around in case he needed to animate something. He put it close to the paper, eyes narrowing. He tried to make a mark, but his hand shook and he took the pencil away.

"Hey, Edward?" Liam asked nervously, tapping his fingers on the locker door. Edward looked up, and Liam continued. "What exactly would he help us- or you endowed- with? I mean, what's the big conflict with the Bloor's. I've heard the balance shifts, and Owen is missing... but what exactly are you guys going to try to do?"

Edward frowned. "I- I dunno. Dad's gonna talk to Naren. If she doesn't know about this shadow-controller, then they're probably a Bloor. Also, we've been finding out more about this flyer business... Not to mention that Audrey is going to drown someone. Right now, we need to worry about Audrey, and another endowed child is always helpful."

Liam nodded, though he thought Edward sounded doubtful. Just then, the bell rang and they both groaned. Liam sighed. "I have math. I'll see you at lunch, alright?"

"Yeah," murmured Edward, still focused on the drawing. He folded it up and put it in his pocket before delving into his locker once for his history book. Finding it, he cleaned his locker up and walked away. Liam watched him go silently before turning and heading to his own math class.

...

...

Caitlyn was sitting in her science class, a large textbook propped up on her desk. It hid her hand, in which she was watching an illusion of herself beating up Lydia Lyson over and over again. She was so occupied that she didn't even notice the teacher coming up to her until his large shadow fell over her desk. Her illusion flickered out and she looked up nervously.

"Yes, Mr. Raydoll?" she squeaked out, intimidated by the grizzly bear-like figure standing over her.

The teacher combed his brown goatee with a large finger, peering down at her with dark eyes. His hands were on his hips and his frizzy brown hair was sticking out on all sides from his head. His button shirt was unbuttoned at the top, and locks of curly black chest hair peeped out at her. "Ms. Sage, what is the answer to the question I just asked?"

"Oh- uhm," she mumbled, looking at her textbook. Pictures of fish waving their tails and sea urchins waving their... fronds... jumped out at her. Squinting at the bold title that read **EXTERNAL FERTILIZATION**, she bit her lip and ventured a guess. "That, uhm, they-"

There was a knock on the classroom door and it opened, a brown-covered head appearing around the door. Caitlyn's breath caught in her throat as she recognized the floppy brown hair, brown eyes and ear piercing. Mr. Raydoll turned from his interrogation and looked at the boy in the doorway. His throaty voice rumbled throughout the room. "Yes, Kai?"

"I was wondering if I could borrow Caitlyn for a few minutes, sir," he said, twirling his green tie around one of his tan fingers. "We're painting for the drama production in Art, and Mrs. Larkins asked me to get one of the drama students to give opinions."

Mr. Raydoll frowned, hooking his massive thumbs on his belt. "But your art class is only for the first bit of the morning, Kai. Why are you still in it instead of in another class?"

"Mrs. Larkins said that some of us students in the older forms should stay behind to work on it. She gave us notes for our next classes," Kai said swiftly, leaning against the door.

"Alright," grumbled Mr. Raydoll. He turned to Caitlyn. "You can go, but come back before the end of the period for homework."

Caitlyn couldn't believe her luck. She was getting out of the awkward situation, out of class, and with Kai, to boot! Kai had just gotten her out of class! She got up rather belatedly and sweeping out the door. Kai waved cheerfully to Mr. Raydoll before closing the door behind them. It clicked shut, and Kai let go of the handle.

"So where's Mrs. Larkins?" she asked him, wondering if he had come to her because she was good at drama, or if there was another reason for his decision.

"Huh?" Kai looked up at her, a grin dancing across his perfect face. He frowned. "Oh! Well, that was only half-true."

"What?" Caitlyn asked, exasperated. "Only half-true?"

Kai nodded impishly. "Come on!" he said as he grabbed her hand and began to run down the hall.

Caitlyn's hand tingled at the contact, sending electricity through her veins as it zapped her brain. She felt slightly dizzy, but that could have been because she was running down a hall with no clue where Kai was taking her. "Where are we going?"

"I want to show you something!" Kai answered as they zoomed through the halls. Eventually, he skidded to a stop infront of a creaky old door that Caitlyn had never payed attention to before.

"Where are we?" she asked, taking in the dark panelling and the dust across the door. She disentangled her hand with hids, reaching up to the touch the door. Kai caught her hand before she could touch it, sending more shivers down her spine. He quietly shook his head.

"This leads to the old system of tunnels under the Academy," Kai explained. "If we go through here, we can get down into the tunnels. I think it also leads into the ruins, but I'm not sure. I came out a different way the first time, but after some exploring I found this door. It's much easier to get to than the other door, so we should take it tomorow."

"You got me out of class to show me a door?" Caitlyn asked, confused. "Couldn't you just have shown me on Saturday?"

Kai grinned that grin again. He shrugged and shot her a glance. "Actually, there was something else I wanted to show you. Grab my hand."

Caitlyn's heart pulsed as she did what he had told her. His hand was warm, and she could enjoy it now that they weren't running full-speed through the hallways.

"Close your eyes," he whispered, and Caitlyn did as she was told. She felt him lean closer. Her heartbeat accelerated, and she felt his breath by her ear. "Now open."

She opened her eyes and looked around for Kai, but he had vanished. She was about to yell at him when she realized that she could still feel Kai's hand on hers. "Yeah, I know you can become invisible, Kai. Honestly, this isn't funny."

A chuckle came from the middle of nowhere. "Look down at yourself, Caitlyn."

She glared at the space she thought was him and looked down at her body. Or where she felt her body was. She couldn't see it. Her body had vanished. Her breath caught in her throat, and her voice came out as a whisper. "Kai? Where did I go?"

"I recently figured out I could do this," he murmured. "My endowment has become stronger, and now I came make other people invisible as well. It'll be useful when we try to sneak down here, don't you agree?"

Caitlyn nodded- or, at least, she thought she did. "This is awesome... It's like we can do anything now. Go anywhere now."

She felt him squeeze her hand, then felt his body heat closer to her. His breath was by her neck now as his body pressed against hers. A tingle ran through her as she felt something press against her neck. His lips moved up, searching for hers. Caitlyn stayed still, afraid to let go of his hand, in case he disappeared. An arm awkwardly wrapped itself around her waist, and Caitlyn stopped breathing. Her pulse accelerated as his lips brushed against hers. She couldn't help herself. She leaned forwards, pushing her lips against his. She felt him pause before his mouth opened slightly over hers. Caitlyn leaned into it, savouring his sweet taste. She moved her tongue forwards, but the second it touched his mouth, he tensed and pulled away.

With a shudder, they became visible. Kai dropped his hand from hers, a flush spreading across his face. Caitlyn tried to speak, but all that came out was a croak. "Why?"

Kai turned away. "Mrs. Larkins is probably wondering where we are."

"Kai!" Caitlyn almost shrieked. "Answer me!"

His looked down, hands in his pockets. "We really should get to the art room."

"Tell me!" a hysterical sob coursed through her as she stomped her foot. She had kissed Kai, but it hadn't been anything like she had thought it would be. The beginning had been perfect, but he was supposed to renounce Lydia forever. He wasn't supposed to pull away and act like nothing had happened.

Turning back to her, Kai's face was a perfect mask. Yet even he couldn't keep his voice from shaking as he said, "Dammit, Caitlyn. I just wanted to try-"

"Try? This was an experiment!?" she almost broke down crying. Her eyes widened as she felt his arms around his waist.

"I don't know what to do," he sighed into her hair. "I'm sorry I hurt you, but I didn't know what to do. I don't know what to do about everything. It's too much. You, Lydia, all these new problems popping up at Bloor's... I just wanted to be sure before I made my decision. I would never try to hurt you. Never."

Caitlyn felt tears roll down her face. "Kai-"

"Don't say it," he muttered. "I feel awful enough as it is."

"Maybe we should get to the art room?" she volunteered, and Kai let go of her, grateful. He nodded.

"Yeah."

...

...

"Edward! You going to the King's Room?" Gemma nearly attacked him, flinging her arms around his waist.

The blond boy looked down at her and nodded. "Yeah. Where else would I be going at a time like this?"

She shrugged, her blond curls bouncing off of her shoulders. Edward grinned as she looked up at him, raising an eyebrow suggestively. "I had assumed that you might be visiting your blow-up doll of Xena, Warrior Princess."

Ed looked at her, mortified. "Gem! That was two years ago, and done on a dare from Liam!"

"Psh," she grinned, slipping her hand into his. Her eyebrows waggled as she pressed against him. "I don't know why you agree to those dares, anyways."

"Come on," he muttered. "Liam and I have been doing those dares for a very long time now. Every Saturday night we come up with a challenge and a dare."

"It's insanely stupid," Gemma complained, flipping her hair back as she clung onto him. Edward enjoyed the feeling of her body against his. "Every single week you do a challenge where the loser does something stupid, and every single time, you lose. What day are you wearing the pink tie?"

"Friday," grumbled Edward, reluctant to bring up the subject of the latest dare. "But one of these days, I am going to beat him. And he is going to have to do something extremely embarrassing. You were there last Saturday night, right? You saw how close I was to beating him!"

Gemma pondered this thoughtfully. "As I recall, you were thirty points behind him in Scrabble. You got lucky with the word 'zebra' on a triple word score. Nothing skillful, Ed."

Sighing, Edward rubbed her waist with his hand. "It was extremely skillful. Besides, it was his mistake in setting it up."

"Edward," Gemma rolled her eyes as they walked forwards, nearing the King's Room. "He used words like 'xenon', 'waif', 'bowline' and 'hatches', the last where he put the 's' on your word 'judge', giving him tons of points."

"Yeah, but I was close! Next week, we're playing against each other on _Age of Empires III_. I'm bringing my laptop and I'm gonna win, for once," Edward declared flamboyantly.

Gem giggled. "Just give up already."

Edward was about to reply when a heavy figure barelled into him. He tumbled towards the wall, holding Gemma close to him so she didn't fall. When he had caught and steadied himself, he turned back to glare at their attacker.

Dominic Silk glared back at them, a smug expression on his face. The zits popping out all over his pale face gave him the impression of a fat donkey. It was sad but true. Many years ago, when they had been friends, Dom had been even hotter thanKai. His ashy black hair had been straightened, his dark blue eyes had shone with friendship, and his complexion had been perfect. Now he had put on weight, zits, and his hair was messed up. "Sorry, ladies. Didn't mean to hurt you."

"Anytime, fugly," Edward growled angrily, striding up to him angrily.

Dom furrowed his heavy brows, and curled his hand into a fist. Edward did the same as they glared daggers at each.

"Eddie!" came a shrill voice as Audrey Endless strolled up. She brushed past Gemma, completely ignoring her. She latched onto Edward's waist and pouted. "Leave Dominic alone, will you? Don't waste your time on people like _him_."

Edward froze, astounded by her change of attitude. He nodded, dropped his fist and went back over to Gemma. he picked up their books and they strode towards the King's Room. Dom made a move to follow, but Audrey interecepted him. Her voice was icy. "Don't you ever do that again, Dominic Silk! What were you thinking?"

Dom grinned and held up a piece of blue fabric in his left hand. "I got part of his cape when I pushed him."

"What?" Audrey glared at him, before remembering his endowment. "Right. Good thinking, Dom..."

She turned to go when Dom spoke once more. "It's Wednsday night now. When are you going to drown him?"

Audrey turned around, grinning icily. "Saturday. They won't be able to get out, and I'll take them all."

...

...

_-click._

_I woke up got my lazy ass out of bed  
I watered all the rocks growing in my head  
I Had a thought... and I looked up to see_

_The sign read the park she's closed today  
E-tickets don't work here no more anyway  
Where every day's a magic day to be free You see..._

_It's a nice day when you wake up in Disneyland...  
It's a nice day should you wake up in Disneyland...  
It's your lucky day should you wake up in Disneyland...  
It's a nice day should you wake up in Disneyland..._

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

OMGZ YUSH. Lots of KaiCaitlyn fluff and angst. I really wanted to put Haley into this chapter, but shh. He'll come in next chapter.

This chapter is over 4500 words long (excluding my author's note. A/N makes it 5000 o.o), a personal best for me. And uh-oh, remember Dom's endowment? Alright, now I'll respond to readers and take out the plushies.

Woot.

Oh, and by the way, the song is _Disneyland_, by _Five For Fighting._

**DotCiki-** Gabe is dead, remember? And now you see all of the older generation. Except for Fido, 'cause I kind of only remembered him at the end urgh.

Anyways, you can have another Dominic plushie (except this time, he glares and grins evilly) as well as a Benjamin plushie for your contest oneshot. Because I'm running out of plushies lul.

**Jaredfan**- you get a Jacob plushie this time. Isn't he sweet?

And yeah, I like Edward because he doesn't try to jeopardize his friendship, or push her to becoming more after they kiss.

**ShadowRose**- You get an Edward plushie! Woo! If you squeeze him, he'll ramble indignantly about his Scrabble game with Liam.

Yush, Edward and Gemma are a constant in my story. There's no angst there, just happiness and shiz.

**My Notes: **I found that Tancred was too emotionless in the last chapter. This time he actually shows that he's sad. And I was gonna have the KaiCaitlyn kiss later, but I really just wanted to write it so yeah. Poor Caitlyn. And the 'paper boy' will play a large role in later chapters.

So have fun guys. D

I is updating fast yes?

and let's all laugh at Mr. Raydoll.

I feel like I've come a long way since I've started this fic. My grammar and spelling are improving with each chapter, along with my character development. rrr. Also, chapter length. Before, I would have struggled to write something that was even like 1500 words. But now with this fic, I love writing it so much.

And yes, there will be a lot of action on Saturday. But don't think that this fic is even close to being over.

**Next chapter hint:** The bad guys have a meeting! Woohoo.

**Contest News: **Contest is over September 20th. Right now, the only entry is DotCiki. Please guys, go crazy. I love reading fluff fics. rawrness. And I'm eager to write some for you guys as well. And if you can't think of a pair, here are some ideas:

_Liam x Jenna_

_Haley x Jenna_

_Edward x Jacob_

_Gemma x Dom_

_Patrick x Caitlyn_

_Kai x Jenna_

_Edward x Liam_

_Haley x Kai_

_Gemma x Haley_

_Haley x Caitlyn_

It can be AU if you'd like, or it can flow with the story. Whichever.

_This chapter goes to **DotCiki **again because she pwns. Mhm._

**Extra Extra: **Check out my awesome Kai Brown icon that I'm using as my icon/display pic thingy on my profile. I have it in three different styles ;D


	11. Russian Roulette

**Russian Roulette**

potentially lethal game of chance in which participants place a single round in a revolver, 

spin the cylinder, place the muzzle against their head and pull the trigger.

_Sitting in this room playing Russian roulette,  
Finger on the trigger to my dear Juliet,  
Out from the window see your back drop silhouette,  
This blood on my hands is something I cannot forget,_

It was morning. A cold morning, for the current month. The fog on the grounds was hazy and misty, and there were no signs of life. Trees grew like gnarled nightmares, casting dark shadows everywhere. No birds sang; no insects chirped. Not even the recently freed blue jay zoomed around the grounds, singing its song of freedom to the world. No, the air was still and heavy. The wind barely moved, but still managed to cast muted whispers that chilled the breeze even more. There was only one shadow being cast upon the crumbling stone walls that marked where the Red King had once lived.

It was the gardener. Not a very pleasent or remarkable fellow. His hands were too large, his chin too wide. His bottom lip was wide, while his top one was small. His hair was a dull brown, streaked with grey. Flinty hawk-like eyes peered out from behind a heavy brow. He wore overalls, grey denim over a plaid green shirt. Moles covered his face, and a crease split his forehead. He was tall and stocky, old but not too old. He had never revealed his age to anyone except for Harold Bloor, but that was for his job description. He looked around fifty, perhaps sixty.

He shuffled as he walked, hands barely moving from their position as they hung by his side. His mouth was a firm lineas he trudged along. He wasn't overweight, but he certaintly wasn't in shape. He followed the contour lines of the Academy. The trees watched him, barely daring to creak or to groan. He stopped by a grey cellar door, still grunting to himself. His obese hands, each finger as fat as a sausage, lifted the door up and he began to climb down underneath.

There was nothing peculiar about this site. It was one that a caretaker would do many times. No one should think twice about it. Yet why did the man continuously look over his shoulder? What was he up to?

He climbed down into the cellar, shutting the door behind him. It was cold in the air, and the air smelt musty and dank. His fingers groped for a switch and he flipped it up. A bare lightbulb flickered on, illuminating a wooden table and some fluttering moths. Pulling out a chair and moving aisde an old rake, the caretaker sat down. His dark eyes stared straight ahead as he sat motionless. Or at least, he looked motionless. Only the slight twitch of his grey eyes gave away that he was waiting for someone.

"Glad you could make it," came the soft voice of a snake from behind him. The caretaker turned to see a man dressed in all black move towards him. The man didn't sit down, he just kept his coal black eyes fixed on the caretaker as he stood about a step away.

The caretaker's eyes searched him. They found the orange glow of fire emitting from his body. Assured about who it was, the caretaker gave a little grunt. "Hello, Mr. Bloor."

Manfred laughed, a chilling sound. "Did you just check me?" he asked darkly.

The caretaker looked away for a moment before nodding slightly. "I had to be sure," he replied softly, running a wide hand through his greasy hair.

The tall Bloor smirked, eyes emotionless, before looking towards the other door to the cellar. "You can come in now."

The door opened with a creak, and three figures stepped in. The first was a tall woman, captivating and beautiful. She had long mahoghany hair, with narrow brown eyes. The caretaker squinted at her, mind buzzing, but no aura was emitted. He turned towards the second man, a tall and scrawny fellow. He had messy hair and a sickly green complexion. But his eyes were dark, healthy and inteligent. Tilting his head a little to the side, the caretaker could see sea green coming from his hands and mind. Nodding slightly, he turned to the last woman. She was as skinny as a pole, her face was fixed in a permanent frown. It took awhile, but the caretaker managed to get a purple glow from her.

"Damn telekenetics," he grumbled, voice low. Their power hid their aura. "Zelda and Dagbert, right?"

Zelda nodded shrewdly, still frowning. She walked over to Manfred, attempting to slip her arm into his. He pulled away, resting a hand on her shoulder and murmuring something in her ear. Dagbert just gave the caretaker an unfathomable glance.

"Who're you?" the man asked the beautiful woman curiously.

"Cara Silk," she said, a smile grazing at the corner of her lips. "You?"

"Derek. Derek Hampton," he replied promptly. "You were Gabriel's wife before his... accident. That was your fault, wasn't it?"

Cara gave a tight nod, smirking once more. She perched herself on the old table, crossing her legs. Dagbert stood beside her, casting glances at Manfred and Zelda. "Why is this man useful?"

"He can see other people's endowments," said Manfred casually. "Remember Olivia Vertigo, and how she ended up being endowed? We haven't had a singe case like that since Hampton came here. No one can hide from us."

"Or so you think," interjected Cara, playing absentmindedly with a lock of hair. "So, why is he useful to us now? Maybe we can laugh them to death. He can come out and glare at them until they start."

"Cara," said Manfred, exasperated. "That's not all. He can also... tell things. Like, sense things. He sensed something yesterday morning and came to tell me. Hampton, tell them," he ordered.

Derek nodded, ugly face softening. "They're planning an attack on us Saturday, once the rest of the kids have gone home. We need to be ready for it."

"Them?" Dagbert asked, suddenly interested. "You mean Charie Bone and his lackeys?"

"Yeah," grunted the large caretaker, a grimace on his face. "They're coming in Saturday."

"Saturday was the day Audrey planned to drown Edward," Dagbert replied. "We should keep all the kids in on Saturday. That way we have them, maybe to use as hostages."

Manfred blinked twice before a grin spread across his sallow face. "That's it. We'll keep them in. Tomorrow is Friday, so everything should work out. Today, though, we need to prepare. Dagbert, Idith and I will be the front line. Joshua and Zelda can cover us from behind. I'll get Eric to come in, he won't mind."

"Eric?" asked Dagbert slowly. "The stonemover? Isn't he in Cornwall?"

Manfred nodded. "After his wife and kids left him, he stayed there. But I'm sure he won't mind coming here. After all, he'll get to see his niece."

"Is she endowed?" Cara asked. Now that the caretaker was paying more attention, he could make out a faint aura from her. She wasn't endowed, no, but one of her parents had the ability to- the caretaker opened his mouth in shock at the colour that had registered. If one of her parents could do _that_, then Cara certaintly had some ability to her- though he wouldn't go as far as to call it an endowment.

Eyes flickering darkly, Manfred looked up. He nodded slightly, black eyes as cold as ever. "We don't know."

"I thought that Hampton could tell," Cara said smugly.

Derek looked away slightly, brow furrowing. "She does have an aura, it's true. But some people who're related to endowed people also have auras. Hers is very faint, and Mr. Bloor is keeping an eye on her."

"Mr. Bloor?" chuckled Zelda, lightly tracing the outline of Manfred's arm with her spindly fingers. "You really just don't..." she trailed off.

Manfred looked at her, and Derek thought he could see a trace of annoyment in his features. Did those two people really love each other once, or did they marry due to mutual appreciation.

"So what should we do, then?" Dagbert asked, always the voice of reason.

"Cara, contact Eric. Dagbert, tell Joshua and Idith to keep an eye on Edward Bone and his group. Zelda, you stay with them. Dabert, also inform Audrey on what's happening. Hampton, give me information about everyone in the school with an aura," ordered Manfred.

Derek nodded and got up, making his way back up the cellar stairs. As he reached the top, he paused. Flicking the switch, he plunged the whole room into darkness.

--

Haley was just walking down the stone steps, brushing his black hair back from his face, when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning, Haley stared in confusion as Autumn came down after him.

"Hey, Haley," she greeted him cheerfully, but Haley could tell there was a seriousness in her voice.

He nodded, looking away from her gaze slightly. "Uh, you have a spare, too?" it was one of the advantages to being in the fifth form. He got one class off a day, and considering he only had four classes in the first semester, it was equivilent to one fourth of class time gone. He had a habit of going outside to enjoy the cool breeze, knowing full well that when winter rolled around, he wouldn't have it anymore. He had only seen a few students that had a spare the same time as him, and he had never seen Autumn out at the same time. Still, he supposed that she was rather good at keeping herself hidden when she wanted.

"Yeah," she smiled, sitting down on the steps. Haley noticed that she wasn't wearing her uniform- she never did, but the Bloors never called her out for it. "Sit down," she added.

Haley did what he was told, a little incredulous. "So, what's up?" he asked, tapping his fingers on the stone. He had talked to her before, but Haley had the feeling that this was going to be more than just a little chat.

"I just want to let you know before I start," she took in a deep breath. "I'm staying completely neutral."

"Neutral about what?" Haley asked, after a slight pause.

Autumn looked away before looking back at him. She sighed softly before meeting his gaze with her intense green eyes. "The whole fight between you and the Bloors."

"So..." Haley twiddled his thumbs. "You came over to tell me that you're staying neutral? That's it?"

"No," she scoffed, giving him a look that made Haley suddenly feel a little bit idiotic. "There's more too it."

"Okay," the black-haired boy said, shrugging and flitting his purple cape. He looked at Autumn with his bright blue eyes, suddenly extremely curious. "Shoot."

Autumn sighed, flipping her orange hair away from her face. "Look, Haley. You know I'm not endowed, but... my dad is, alright? He's a windmaker, which is why I'm slightly... I'm sure you've noticed, I have a bit of a breeze."

Haley leaned forwards, squinting. "Wait," he said, trying to form the words. "Are you saying that an unendowed person can recieved _part_ of an endowment? So even if they aren't endowed, they could have endowed qualities?"

"Yes," the girl nodded, and Haley's heart began to race. What if he had a _special quality_ because his dad was endowed? Not that he had ever made anything explode, but... What if there was something he could do? Something he hadn't noticed before because he hadn't been looking for it?

"What's a windmaker?" he asked, heart still pounding. "Is it liked Tancred? Can he bring storms?"

Autumn leaned back on the stone steps slightly, shaking her head. "He makes wind... he's a carver. He carves things out of wood, stone and glass. He can make these pipes that have the ability to summon the wind."

"So these pipes can summon wind," Haley repeated, trying to figure this all out. "So he can make things with wind, but not control it himself?"

"Sort of," Autumn said. "When these pipes are used, they don't _summon_ wind from somewhere else. They make it completely new. So if you use it, you increase the wind on this planet. That's why it's dangerous."

Haley leaned back as well, azure eyes curious. "So if these pipes can be used to summon wind... Does that mean you can be used to summon wind?"

A smile grazed the orange-haired girl's face. "Yes. My dad never figured it out, though. No one knows how. But if somehow you can figure it out, you can use me to summon wind."

"So," started Haley thoughtfully. "Did this just come naturally, or is there a reason you recieved part of his endowment?"

"When I was born... he was playing a pipe. My mom had these beautiful wind chimes. She was giving birth at home with a midwife, and she wanted them to play, but there was no wind. So my dad made wind at the same time I was born... That's why. But there are other cases too. Usually you need an endowed object, but not always."

Mind racing, Haley tried to think of something that could have been present at his birth. He knew that his dad had a bunch of old artifacts, but he was doubtful if any of them had been used at birth. Closing his eyes, he tried to think of something, but he couldn't. "Does it have to be something relating to a parent's endowment?" he asked.

"Yes," nodded Autumn, voice quiet.

Haley turned towards her, and he noticed she had done the same thing. "Why are you telling me this, Autumn?" he whispered, wondering how on Earth his spare had turned into this serious conversation.

Autumn gave another secretive smile. Her pale fingers found a lock of his curly black hair and they moved it behind his ear. Haley shivered as her cold skin touched his face. "Because," she whispered. "It's all going to come down to you."

"Are you saying... are you saying I have a _power_?" Haley asked, floored. This was what he had always hoped for.

"I don't know," replied Autumn, but her voice sounded genuine. "But you need to remember that..."

"Thanks," Haley said, noticing that their faces were still so unbearably close. Autumn noticed this too. She leaned forwards slightly, pressing her ashen lips to him. It was soft and sweet, and Haley looked at her in astonishment.

She placed a finger over his lips. "Tell Edward that 'It has nothing to do with the brain' for me, would you?"

"Wha-?" Haley started, but she shushed him. Before he knew it, Autumn Wind was walking away, leaving a light breeze in her wake.

--

"Copy down your notes," came a soft voice, and Iszak felt himself being prodded in the shoulder.

The boy looked up, brilliant green eyes sparkling with playful humour. He was dressed in a slim white shirt, lime green belt, and grey skinny jeans. His hair was everywhere, and there was a bored expression on his face as he turned to the girl beside him. "Shut up, you scene kid."

"Hey!" she gasped, with mock anger. "You're one to talk, _scene kid_," she huffed angrily, prodding him in the shoulder again. "Now copy down your notes."

"Fuck that. I don't give a shit about..." he looked up, as if to check what class he was in again. "History."

The girl was about to reply when Iszak leaned over to see what she had written down. It was beautifully neat writing, but there was nothing written except the title. "_Michelle_," he teased, eyes gleaming. "Don't be such a _hypocrite_."

"I'm gonna copy them off of Ryan," she protested. Michelle dug into the pocket of her dark jeans, pulling out her phone to check the time. She rolled her eyes at it, tongue absentmindedly going over her snakebite piercing.

Iszak grinned and leaned back in his chair. "What, that smartass back there?" he asked, gesturing with his elbow to a couple desks back, where Ryan sat managing to look utterly bored and yet rapidly copy down notes at the same time.

He and Ryan had been best friends since basically forever. He was probably the only one in the school, never mind the eleventh grade, who knew Ryan's original hair colour. One day it was black with orange, and the next it would be fluffy blond. Iszak could remember it being a light chestnut brown, but he wasn't sure. "Seriously though," he added when Michelle didn't reply. "He's all like drugs one second and good grades the next. How the fuck does he pull it off?"

"Why don't you ask him at lunch?" suggested Michelle mildly. "I'm sure he could give you some tips. Oh wait, but you're going to pick up some heroin at lunch, aren't you?"

"Wanna say that louder so the whole class can hear you?" asked a disgruntled Iszak. Michelle disapproved of his drug habits, but he didn't use them _that_ often. His friend was just being a worrywart.

She chuckled, eyes sliding to her cell phone once more. "Five... four... three... two... one..." she mouthed.

The bell rang, and Iszak leapt from his seat, hastily shoving his spiral notebook and mechanical pencil back into his light messenger bag. "Right, well, I'm off. Ryan, come to my locker with me?"

Ryan came up behind him, grinning and flipping his- currently- black hair away from his bright brown eyes. "Yeah, sure, got it," he said. He was a little shorter than Iszak, with a slim build and soft voice.

They walked through the halls towards Iszak's locker, but when they got there, they found it blocked by another girl. She was Asian, probably Chinese, and was wearing jeans with a hoodie. She cast a bored glance at Iszak and Ryan as they came towards her.

"Move please," grunted Iszak, but she wouldn't move.

"Iszak Kendrenski?" she asked, voice soft and tough at the same time. The girl raised a thin eyebrow.

Iszak nodded. "That's me," he grunted.

"You were at the Pet's Cafe last Saturday, right?" she asked once more, but the tone of her voice indicated that it wasn't a question.

"Mmm," he nodded again, scrutinzing her.

"My name is Mai Bloor," she told him matter-of-factly. "I need to talk to you."

--

They were sitting in the all, all five of them. Lunch wasn't over yet, but they had managed to escape their respective serveries and were now crowded around Gemma's locker. She sat on the floor, leaning against it. Beside her sat Edward, his blond hair tousled and his arm around her. On the other side of the hallway were Liam and Caitlyn. Kai sat on Gemma's other side, at the farthest possible distance from Caitlyn. He had also forgone the school uniform, choosing instead an Aerosmith shirt and a Hurley hoodie. He had detention anyways, so he really didn't care what he wore. He would change if he needed too.

"So I found this drawing of a boy," Edward was explaining to the rest of them, but Kai just groaned and pushed his head back against the locker. He was tired, so tired. He didn't know where Lydia was, and he couldn't bear to look at Caitlyn. Things were just too awkward between them ever since...

It was lucky nobody else knew about it. Edward was a good friend, but he couldn't keep his mouth from gossiping, and Kai had no doubt that Lyda would have heard about it eventually. She really was sexy, he thought with a smirk.

"I just need to figure out how to work his endowment... Then I can bring him to life," continued Edward, pulling Gemma close to him. She didn't mind, instead putting a hand on his chest and leaning her head on his shoulder.

Kai watched them, wishing his relationship could be like that. Lydia wasn't some warm comfort that he could always turn to. She was demanding, bitchy, presumptious, but still so damn _sexy_. He ran his eyes over his friends. Liam and Caitlyn were nodding to what Edward was saying, so Kai forced himself to nod too.

Then the bell rang. Kai leapt up, about to head to his French class when he paused. Maybe he should make up his mind, about Caitlyn and about everything. About Lydia. Frustrated, he turned the other way, planning to skip class and clear his head. He had just taken about four steps when he heard Caitlyn's voice behind him. "Kai? I, uh, I thought your class was the other way..."

Damn. It wasn't like her to be nervous, and Kai knew that. He nearly froze as she gently touched his shoulder with her hand. The brown-haired boy spun round and grabbed her wrist gently with his hand. "Caitlyn," he murmured, determined to meet her gaze.

Caitlyn looked down instinctively, trying to pull away, but Kai held firm. "I want you," he told her simply, not thinking about having to deal with a bitchy Lydia Lyson if- when- he broke up with her.

Looking dumbfounded for a moment, Caitlyn quickly recovered. She gave him a glare and ripped her arm out of his grip. "You're too late," she replied to him primly, before turning and walking away.

Completely shocked, Kai stood there watching her go. "What? Caitlyn... Caitie..." he called after her, voice fading to a murmur as he called her by the name she had sworn to kill him if he used.

But she didn't stop or turn around- she just kept walking.

He could have sworn he heard drumbeats.

But it was just his imagination, Kai decided.

After all, she was an illusionist.

--

It was quiet in the King's Room. The endowed sat hunched around a table, flipping through their respective notebooks and jotting things down. Kai bordered Audrey and Edward bordered Jenna on the divide between the two sides. Caitlyn sat beside Kai, simply because Gemma was sitting beside Edward. There was a tense atmosphere there, one that Kai was determined to break.

"Hey Patrick!" he yelled out hoarsely. "Looking sexy today, huh babe?"

Patrick looked up, completely confused. "What the hell, Brown?"

"Kai!" Caitlyn hissed, breaking her I-won't-talk-to-that-stupid-invisible-idiot rule. "What are you doing?"

But Kai continued on unbothered. "Maybe it's something you did with your hair. Anyways, I have some money for last night," he went around digging in his pocket.

"BROWN!" yelled Patrick, fire coming off of his palms and licking the air.

By now, Edward had caught on. "What? Kai! You'll sleep with him but not me? That's it, we're _over_!"

Now Gemma was giggling. "Honestly, Kai. I don't know how you could due that to poor Edward."

"Oh pfft, 'poor Edward'? Need I remind you that he was the one who left me for Dominic!" Kai snapped back, brown eyes sparkling in delight. This was much better than just simply doing homework like they usually did. Antagonizing Patrick was just so much more fun.

"Because YOU left for Jacob!" shouted Edward, rising to his feet and pounding the table with his fist. Jacob looked thoroughly embarressed, and he turned away. Patrick just had an astounded expression on his face.

"Okay, Ed," said Kai, voice calm as he also got up. "Want to know _why_ I keep avoiding your bed?"

"Like hell I do!" responded Edward, trying not to lapse into a fit of laughter as he say Caitlyn and Gemma's expressions.

"It's because," Kai took a dramatic breath, as if preparing for something solemn or serious. "It's because I don't know who would be on top. It would be so awkward, since we're both dominant figures. You know, flipping each other over, skin on skin, running our hands down the other's body as we-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" thundered Patrick. He had also risen to his feet and was now scorching the ceiling. "There will be no talk of sex here, and certainly not gay sex."

There was a pause for a moment as Kai and Edward sat down, trying to to laugh, before a soft voice pierced the silence. "Homophobic."

It was Jacob Tilpin. Edward shot him a wide-eyed glance, and Patrick looked like he was struggling to come up with a good retort. "Why do you care, Jacob? Are you _gay_?"

Jacob bit his bottom lip and looked down. "So what if I am?" he asked in a very small voice. "That doesn't change the fact that you're a _homophobic_."

"Shawg," said Kai, before a glance from Dominic Silk shut him up. He turned to Caitlyn, and he hoped that she didn't get the impression he had started this whole thing simply to impress her. Despite the fact that that was true.

Silence reigned once more.

--

Caitlyn sat on the edge of her bed, perched on the purple cotton blankets. Gemma sat on a green bed beside her. The blond girl's face was fixed in an expression of concern. She touched Caitlyn's arm gently. "Want to talk about it?" she asked.

"Kai said he wanted me today," the words poured out of the mocha-coloured girl's mouth before she could stop them. She looked up at Gemma with wide, pleading eyes. "I... I told him no..."

"But I thought you really liked him," Gemma remarked, coming over to sit beside Caitlyn. She swung an arm over the other girl's shoulder. "Why did you refuse him?"

The illusionist looked like she was on the verge of tears. "I did really like him... a lot. I still _do_, it's just..."

"It's just what?" asked Gemma patiently, bringing her knees up to her chest on the bed. She was wearing green and brown plaid pyjama bottoms, with a white tank top as a shirt.

"I don't know," Caitlyn confessed. "I just wanted... I wanted him to feel like I had... because I have him so many chances and he just didn't... he went for that slut and now he wants me but..."

Gemma frowned, looking over at Caitlyn. "The way it sounds to me is that you have no good reason for turning him down, and you still really like him. So... maybe just give it a shot?"

"Yeah," Caitlyn said, and then she brightened. "Yeah, thanks for the advice, Gem!" she got off the bed and headed towards the door to the hallway, still wearing a white pyjama shirt and baggy bue pyjama bottoms with monkey heads on them.

"I didn't mean right _now_," Gemma hissed, trying not to be too loud. "He's gonna be _asleep_, dammit!"

Caitlyn just smiled her wry smile and slipped outside.

--

Okay, maybe this had been a stupid idea. A really, really _stupid_ idea. There was no guarantee that Kai would be out roaming the corridors, or if he was even still interested in her anymore. The hallways were pitchblack as she roamed around the empty Academy. It was around midnight, and was freezing. Yes, it had been an extremely stupid idea. Like, seriously stupid. Beyond stupid stupid. Guiness book of world records stupid...

But then she heard his voice. It sounded like something from a dream. Caitlyn turned around, taking care not to bump into a Ming vase that was on a pedestal. Squinting, she noticed the black silhouette behind her. She took a slight step forwards, listening for it again.

"Caitlyn?"

There it was, his voice. It was so perfect. Caitlyn couldn't help going towards him again until they were close enough to touch. "Kai," she murmured, eyes tracing the dark outline of his body. They came back to rest on his face- they always did.

"I know you probably don't want to see me, but-" he started, voice desperate.

"Don't," Caitlyn told him, moving even closer to him. Her head was at chest, and she could hear him breathing. She slowly placed her hands on his chest, tracing the outline of his muscles with spidery soft touch.

"Caitlyn," he repeated, his breath hitching. She could hear the strain in his voice, the disbelief.

"I said don't," she reminded him. She pressed her lower torso against his crotch, feeling the heat spread between them. She could hear his breath tightening and could feel his heartbeat accelerate. Caitlyn looked up to find him looking down, and she could see the determination shining clear in his eyes.

Their lips touched. The kiss was soft at first, but it quickly turned into a moment of heated frenzy. Caitlyn felt Kai's hands on her back, on her side, on her thighs, as they moved together until she was pushed back against a wall. They were still pressed together, the contact sexually stimulating. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, pushing his head closer against hers and his tongue even further into her mouth. This was what she had always wanted, to be in Lydia Lyson's place.

Caitlyn could feel Kai's warm hands rubbing her back and then finding their way down to the elastic waistband of her pyjamas. He pulled it back slightly before letting go and letting it snap back into place. Caitlyn shivered, breaking the kiss to gasp for air before going back to it again. She realized with a start that his hands were now sliding under the waistband, and she moved back- before realizing she was practically against the wall. So Caitlyn moved sideways, escaping him.

"Need somewhere more private?" Kai asked with a smirk, some of his old confidence returning.

"Kai!" Caitlyn hissed, trying to ignore how warm she still was where their groins had touched. "I'm not Lydia Lyson. I'm not some _slut_. Besides, I'm only fourteen."

"Right," Kai said unsteadily, taking a step towards her again.

Caitlyn blinked and opened her mouth. "Holy fuck, you _slept_ with her, didn't you!" she wailed.

Kai bit his lip and sighed. "Look, you said yourself, she's a slut. It wasn't _my _idea."

She was still opening and closing her mouth like a fish when she realized what he said was right. Lydia Lyson was what you would see in the dictionary if you looked up _whore_. Obviously she had wanted some, and Kai hadn't had the strength to resist. Trying to re-orient herself, Caitlyn glanced him over and realized he was simply wearing plaid Joe Boxers with a grey shirt. She also noticed that he had an obvious-

Damn. No wonder that had turned her on so much.

"Look, Kai," Caitlyn sighed. "_I don't want to have sex with you_."

"I know," Kai replied with a smile. "I'm just hoping you'll change your mind."

Despite his last words, Caitlyn smiled back. She got the sense that he really did know, that he really would respect her and that he cared _so damn much _that he really didn't care if she was still a virgin when they were married at age forty. _If_ they stayed together, that was.

"Damn," she muttered, no longer able to resist as Kai stepped in again, silencing her with his mouth. She didn't protest as his hands roamed her slender form, just breathing in his smell and realizing this was all that she had ever wanted.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

Just before you all flame me for being a lazy bitch...

I swear to you that I will finish this story. I don't care how long it takes, I will finish it. -nodnod-

**DotCiki-** kays, have a Haley plushie then, since he's so adorable :3 and since you're shipping HaleyAudrey as of September xD If you bother to read the first chapter, you might notice Zelda is Patrick's mother xD

**ShadowRose18-** at least Kai makes up for it in this chapter : D have a -checks plushie inventory- ...Iszak plushie that swears too much?

**Jaredfan-** Yep, Haley is win (: have a Jacob plushie 8D

**EternalNamine -** thankyou c: you can have a Gemma plushie then ftw!

**Bookworm-** Hahah, well, my updating streak failed here :3 Have a Caitlyn plushie. -tosses into crowd-

**Miss Poptart-** I DID WRITE MORE YAY 8D Damn, uh, I'm running out of plushies here. Autumn? -gives-

**TLR-** yeah yeah i abbreviated it xD Glad to know Dot's publicizing my fic -coughcoughsweatdrop-. Thanks for joining the bandwagon then. yeah, I'm too lazy to proofread x___x -fail- But uh, since you're new, have a Kai plushie :D In sexy boxers ;D

AND DOT I WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU CHANGED YOUR POSTSCRIPT KTHX XD

I AM NOT YET BUM :3


	12. Juggernauts

**Juggernauts**

_1. Something, such as a belief or institution, that elicits blind and destructive devotion or to which people are ruthlessly sacrificed. _

_2. An overwhelming, advancing force that crushes or seems to crush everything in its path._

_Watching anvils falling all around  
They break our bones when they hit the ground  
Their sirens scream without a sound  
So we numb ourselves with drink to drown_

The bell tower at the center of the city chimed two o'clock in the morning.

Haley sat cross-legged on the bathroom floor, his dark plaid pyjamas contrasting with the stark whiteness of the tiles. His eyes were closed and his curly black hair hung over his brow, casting a shadow over his face.

Above him, the bare bulb of the bathroom light flickered and illuminated the small bathroom in harsh, pale light. The windows were all closed and the shades drawn. Everything was quiet except for the soft humming of the light bulb as the electric current passed through it.

He had noticed Kai leaving about forty-five minutes ago, after tossing and turning in his bed and keeping half the boys in the dorm awake. Once Kai had slipped quietly out of bed, Haley had silently thrown back his covers and crept to the bathroom.

Everything that Autumn had said kept running through his mind. She was the daughter of a windmaker and could be used to summon wind. She wasn't endowed, but she was steeped in the power of an endowment. She could be used to summon wind, she had said. But it was dangerous, because you were adding more wind to the world. It wasn't displacing fire or heating up the air like Patrick could do. It was creating matter, and everything screamed at Haley that that was unnatural.

The chances that he was endowed or even had a hint of power were slim. In the Yewbeam family, it was common for endowments to skip generations, and Haley had understood that. Even after hearing that it was possible to acquire an endowment from your parent if they were endowed and doing something with their power at the time of your birth, Haley had still believed his chances at having a power were small. But Autumn had said that it would all come down to him.

And the message that she had told him to give to Edward... Haley still hadn't passed it on. It always slipped his mind whenever the blond boy was around and came back moments after. He couldn't make any sense of it. It wasn't that he didn't trust Autumn- he knew the message was important, and the first time he got a pen tomorrow he would write on his hand to tell Edward- it was that it made no sense.

"It doesn't have anything to do with the brain," he said aloud to himself, the words reverberating around the small room.

When Edward animated, he had to make sure that everything was matched up. He drew the outline, and then the muscular and nervous systems. At first Haley hadn't understood why Edward wasn't in the Art Department, but the reason became painfully obvious once Edward had tried drawing something he didn't plan to animate.

So was Autumn's message a hint to Edward about an Animation of his? But Edward usually didn't have any trouble with his gift. It was amazing to watch him work with his coloured pencils, connecting muscles and nerves and really making his drawing come alive... Haley couldn't make sense of any of it.

The only thing he had truly understood was that there was a chance he had a power. Maybe not an endowment, but a power nonetheless. That's why he was sitting here, in front of a bare light bulb that was hissing and flickering, and trying to make something happen.

He really would be happy no matter what happened, as long as something did. It could change colours, explode, move around a little, make a pop sound, even heat up- he didn't care. Haley just wanted something- anything, really- to prove that he had a power.

So far, nothing was working. The light bulb never changed, and he had been trying for the past forty-five minutes. Haley sighed and ran a hand through his hair, contemplating the issue. Maybe it was just as simple as he didn't have a power. But then why did Autumn say it was all coming down to him? Why tell him everything about it?

His father had never once mentioned powers passing on. Haley frowned, pinching his leg as it attempted to fall asleep. It stopped tingling for a moment before the pins and needles sensation came over it, and he sighed loudly. He could ask his father on the weekend, that was only two days away, but would it be too late?

Haley could sense something was wrong. Maybe it was something to do with him not having a real endowment because the others felt like nothing was wrong, apart from the whole voice-in-the-wall and Autumn warning him that something was coming and the Black Bandit issue, but he felt something bigger.

He could sense stronger powers at play. Haley, like most of the non-endowed, could sense the power in the air when something was stirring between the endowed, but the sense of powers stirring was greater, as if the endowments themselves were more powerful.

Closing his eyes once more, Haley attempted one last time to change the light bulb. After twenty seconds of concentrating on just changing anything, he let out the breath he had been holding and stood up.

His vision blurred from the head rush and he leaned back against the wall as his vision cleared.

The light turned off.

Haley's jaw literally dropped, a feat he had previously thought impossible except in Disney cartoons. For a few seconds he felt ultimately powerful, as if nothing could touch him. He did have a gift after all!

Then reality came flooding back as he realized he was leaning on the light switch. Sighing and utterly deflated, he flicked it on and off a few times just to check before closing

Yeah, it had been the light switch.

Haley left the room, closing the bathroom door softly before tiptoeing back to his bed. Just as he lay down and pulled the warm covers up to his chin, the door to the boy's dorm opened and Kai slipped back in.

He listened as Kai got back into bed. For a moment both of the boys were silent. Then Kai broke the silence as he rolled over onto his back. "Haley, I know you're awake."

"No I'm not," Haley muttered instinctually, rolling over onto his side so he faced the wall.

"Why are you still awake?" Kai asked, trying to keep his voice neutral. Haley could tell that he was curious but trying to hide it.

He yawned. "You woke me up when you came in," Haley muttered into his blanket. "Anyways, where did you go?"

"Bathroom," answered Kai nonchalantly.

"That's rubbish," mumbled Haley, rolling back over to face Kai. "You were off for almost an hour."

"So you were awake," Kai said triumphantly. "Anyways, I was meeting someone."

"Lydia?" Haley scoffed, not bothering to disguise the annoyance in his voice. Yeah, she was pretty, but she really wasn't nice or intelligent or funny or anything endearing in the personality department.

"No," said Kai after a slight pause. "Caitlyn."

Haley was instantly wide awake. He raised his head, black curls flopping down to frame his face. "Caitlyn?" he repeated. "But- how?"

"I just... I don't know... I told her I.... y'know, with Lydia and she said she wouldn't sleep with me and I didn't expect that and I won't push it 'cause it doesn't really matter that we won't... do it... but I'm worried she's going to think I'm like.. I'm like..." Kai began, unable to find the words to finish his thought.

"A sex freak," supplied Haley helpfully.

"Yeah," muttered Kai blackly.

Haley shrugged. "I don't get why you told her though, man. I'm not saying she shouldn't have known, but... It doesn't exactly work in your favour," he told him bluntly. The black-haired boy had objected from the beginning once he had known what Kai and Lydia had been doing, but Kai had always blown it off. Guys didn't resist action; it was a simple truth.

"I care about Caitlyn... A hell of a lot more than I care about Lydia. I don't want to keep any secrets from her," Kai confessed.

"What about that anonymous valentine you wrote her in fourth grade saying you wanted to rape her because you didn't know what rape meant and you thought it was something romantic because it had to do with sex?" asked Haley casually.

Kai blanched, turned around, and threw a pillow at Haley. The slimmer boy caught it lightly, trying not to chuckle. "Haley! No! She worried about that valentine for like three months! Shit, that was the most embarrassing day of my life."

"Okay, okay." Haley rolled his eyes. Then he yawned once more, resting his head back down his bed and tossing Kai's pillow bag. "I'm gonna sleep now, 'kay? See you in the morning."

"Gotcha, mate," Kai mumbled in reply before burying his face into the pillow.

Two minutes later, the light bulb in the bathroom started burning again, filling the room with its loud hum.

---

Breakfast passed really slowly. Edward and Liam sat in the table at the blue canteen, miserably picking at their eggs and toast. The toast was badly burnt, and the orange juice was completely filled with pulp to the point where it tasted nothing like orange juice should.

The side door swung open and Liam looked up as the gardener walked through. "I don't like that man," he said through a mouth of food, causing a small bit of egg to drop out. Edward flicked it off of the table with the back of his spoon.

"Watch how you eat," he replied darkly before looking at the gardener. Their eyes met briefly and Edward shuddered at the dark intensity in the gardener's eyes.

Bloor's had long since done away with mandatory uniforms and now just enforced capes at meals and in the king's room as well as capes, ties, and white shirts and slacks at formal events, but today Edward was wearing a full Bloor's uniform complete with blazer and slacks (and of course, the pink tie he had been made to wear because of the bet). His shoes, however, were his usual black, white and blue DCs. He yawned as he kicked them lightly against one of the table legs.

"Yeah yeah," Liam grumbled, still watching as the gardener left the canteen. "By the way, what's with the uniform?"

"Girls dig a man in uniform," Edward replied automatically, pausing before he took another bite of his breakfast.

"A man in a uniform with DCs?" asked Liam sceptically. "Besides, you already have the girl."

"Not officially," Edward pointed out, stabbing the air meaningfully with his fork.

"We didn't even make a bet about you wearing the uniform, only the tie," Liam said, rolling his eyes as he recalled how he had won every single Friday night scrabble game they had ever played.

Edward grunted. "I'll beat you tonight," he promised.

"As if," Liam rolled his eyes once more. "We haven't made a bet yet, have we?"

"No, we haven't," grumbled Ed as he picked at his food. "Can we keep it that way?" he asked jokingly, referencing his never-ending losing streak.

"We'll make a good one," Liam promised. "How about if I win, you have to officially ask Gem out?"

"Not much of a bet, since she would probably say yes," shrugged Edward as he took another sip of pulpy orange juice. "What's your side of the deal? You have to ask Caitlyn out?"

Liam looked down. "She likes Kai."

"He's dating Lydia," Edward pointed out, this time making a stabbing motion with his knife as he attempted to cut the toast.

Liam shrugged. "No deal anyways," he said darkly. "She would say no."

Edward stayed silent, knowing it was probably true. He felt bad for Liam since Caitlyn liked Kai, but at the same time, he was rooting for them to get together.

At that moment, Lydia got up from her bench on the far side of the canteen and began to make her way over to them. Both boys looked up as she sat down across from them. In one hand, she held a plain cloth bag. "I have some shit for your friend," she told them coolly.

"Kai?" they both asked at once, startled by her sudden appearance. She had never talked to them before, and Edward was both annoyed at her and slightly awed by her beauty.

"Yeah," replied Lydia, beginning to empty things out of the bag. A baggy Oxford University sweater that Kai had bought on a whim but never worn, a small pewter ring, a silver chain necklace, a couple of dog tags, a keychain with a caribou on it that Kai had purchased on a trip to Canada, a plush African Wild Dog he had bought on a trip to Africa, a black The Who t-shirt, and a striped Element zip-up hoodie.

"Umm, okay," Edward said slowly, taking the bag and the objects and trying to stuff them all back in. "You're giving this to us why?"

"Because the bastard can have it back," Lydia said simply while examining her nails.

Liam and Edward exchanged looks before turning back to Lydia. "Okay," said Liam unsurely. "We'll give it back to him."

"Thanks, that's great," Lydia said, sounding bored as usual. She got up to go, locking her eyes with Edward's as she did so. "Bye, _Edward_."

Both of them watched as she strode into the hall with her purse over her shoulder just as the first bell rang. "Fucking ho," muttered Edward after she had left.

---

Caitlyn was on Facebook. Not a usual thing for her during the week, since she rarely got on a computer at Bloor's. Bloor's was blatantly against the use of electronic devices and it was a pain to even get a cell or iPod in at the beginning of the year. But times were changing, and even the old academy had given in to the need to get a small computer lap. Her science class was taking a rare trip to the lab to play informational online games about science.

She had clicked away from "Element Hangman! Experience the Periodic Table!" to get onto Facebook as many others in her class had done. Logging in quickly, she began to check her notifications.

Edward had commented on her wall post, but that had been last Sunday night. Victoria, one of her townie friends, had posted on her wall asking details about the ruins game last week. Simon Beckham, her best guy friend who didn't go to Bloor's and who was constantly teased for his last name, had commented on one of her pictures where she was sitting at Starbuck's with Gemma and sipping her frappuccino seductively.

She was just about to reply to Victoria when a chat message popped up. It was Iszak, his display picture one of him wearing purple shades, a purple scarf, and a white and black striped shirt.

"I need to talk to you!" was the message on it. A moment later, "Call me!" came on the screen.

"Can't, in class," Caitlyn replied. "Where are you?"

"Library with class," came his rapidly written reply. "Where are you?"

"Computer lab with science class," she typed quickly. "What is it about?"

"Mai Bloor," was his quick reply.

Caitlyn's heart jumped into her throat. Mai Bloor. Edward his said that his father knew a Naren Bloor who had shadow powers. Was Mai Bloor related to her? "Is Mai Bloor related to Naren Bloor?" she asked.

Waiting for his reply was painful, but it eventually popped on to her chat box. "She's her daughter," he wrote simply.

"Did she do the bookstore break-ins? How do you know?" Caitlyn wrote, her fingers practically flying across the keys.

"She came to talk to me yesterday and explained almost everything. She says that she's looking for something really important that the other Bloors are also looking for. I don't really get it but she said it's important and she needs to talk to you," Iszak told her, managing to type all that in what seemed like three seconds.

"When?" asked Caitlyn after rapidly scanning his reply.

"Saturday, Pet's Cafe, two o'clock," Iszak replied, taking his time much to Caitlyn's annoyance.

"Can't!" she replied as a feeling of dread took over her. "Detention," Caitlyn added, remembering that Saturday was the day they were going to find out about the voice in the wall.

"Crap," was all he wrote.

"I'll get Edward to meet her," Caitlyn promised.

"Okay," Iszak said after a while. "That will probably work. Kay, gotta go, we're leaving the library now."

"Bye," typed Caitlyn, but he had already gone offline.

---

The boys were sitting around the usual locker bay where they held their morning break. Too lazy to go outside and play, Edward, Liam, and Haley were sprawled out in the hallway, all flipping through their iPods.

"Twenty-fourth song on shuffle," Edward said, touching the screen of his iPod touch. "I have How to Save a Life, the Fray."

Haley, wearing his usual baggy jeans and a green Hurley t-shirt, slowly pressed the scroll wheel on his giant early generation iPod. "Low by Flo Rida."

Laughing, Liam drummed his fingers on his white belt and tugged his slim t-shirt over his faded grey jeans. "I have Kiss and Sell, the Maine."

"Who?" Edward asked, not familiar with any bands outside the rock, pop, and slightly alternative spectrums.

"The Maine," Liam repeated again. "Great band. Thirty-first song?"

Edward dutifully tapped the screen of his iPod. "Forever, Vertical Horizon."

"Who?" asked Liam teasingly, punching his friend playfully on the shoulder.

As Edward rolled his eyes, Haley skipped through the songs on his iPod. "My thirty-first song is Baba O'Riley."

"You and Kai both love The Who, don't you?" Edward asked, brushing his blond hair away from his eyes.

Haley shrugged, black curls flopping as he did so. "Yeah, but only 'cause they're a great band. I'm more into popular music, stuff that Kai calls disgusting," he added with a laugh.

"'Cause it is. Rap and hip hop are both junk," Liam shoved in his opinion. "My song is Dragging Dead Bodies in Blue Bags up Really Big Hills. It's by Escape the Fate."

"Don't you have anything relatively normal on there?" Edward asked.

"Umm, I have Daughtry," offered Liam reluctantly. His cheeks pinked a bit. "And Pink."

"Pink?" asked Haley, almost choking on the Barbeque Crisper he was eating. "As in, Sober? And that song that goes 'So guess what? I'm a rock star!'" he asked, mimicking her voice at the end.

The tips of Liam's ears were turning red now. "Her songs are pretty emotional. Like, Who Knew and..."

"Stop making excuses!" exclaimed Edward once he had recovered from his laughing fit. Haley was still chuckling noiselessly, his head leaning back against the locker.

"Forty-fifth song," mumbled Liam. "Mine is Doctor, Cute is What we Aim For."

"Home, Daughtry," Edward said, still chuckling slightly.

Haley flipped to his forty-fifth song on shuffle and blanched. Recognizing the opportunity, Liam reached forwards and grabbed it. "My Heart will Go On," he read off the screen. "Celine Dion."

"Titanic was a great movie!" Haley defended himself, and Edward nodded in agreement.

"Sorry to interrupt your 'male bonding time'," Gemma's amused voice wafted down to them from the other end of the hall as she walked down towards them. "Doing your iPod thing again?"

"Guess what Haley has on his iPod," winked Liam, causing Haley to quickly grab it back.

"Celine Dion," said Gemma offhandedly, leaving the boys to gape in wonder. "Ed, what's with the uniform? Liam didn't make a bet with you about it, did he?"

Liam burst into laughter and Edward rolled his eyes. "Actually, there is a special occasion. I'm wearing it to impress a certain young lady."

He beckoned her over to sit beside him and Gemma obliged, poking him in the ribs as she did. "I have bad news for you, buster. It's not working."

"Are you certain I meant you?" Edward winked as he put his arm around her shoulders.

Gemma rolled her eyes. "Oh no, I must be wrong. Please enlighten me. Which poor young lady is going to be accosted by you today?"

"One of Mom's famous film star friends is coming over today and they're going to be picking me up from school," Edward confessed.

She giggled. "Trying to hook a role in a movie, are you?"

"I don't need to try," he said, grinning as he poked her gently in the ribs, causing her to squeal in protest. "Revenge!"

"Hey guys," Kai's familiar voice drifted down towards them. The boys and Gemma looked up, the sight in front of them taking their breath away.

Kai, wearing his usual oversized jeans and a slim shirt, was walking hand-in-hand with Caitlyn. They sat down beside Haley, across from the other three, with Kai helping Caitlyn to sit down. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in towards him.

"Hey," said Liam, who was the first to recover.

Gemma followed shortly after. "Yeah, hey." She shot a dark look at Caitlyn, meaning something along the lines of 'why didn't you tell me when you came back last night'.

"That reminds me," said Edward suddenly. He whipped a cloth bag out of his giant Billabong backpack. "I have some stuff from Lydia here for you."

Kai took the bag and looked inside. "Shit, this stuff better not all smell like her," he commented blackly as he pulled out his Element zip-up.

Promptly taking it from him, Caitlyn put it on and zipped it up. It was way too big for her, given her considerable shortness, and the sleeves swallowed her hands. Not caring, she leaned against Kai. He leaned down and kissed her gently, causing Edward and Liam to gag.

"Public Displays of Affection Rule," Liam reminded them.

"As if they care," Gemma whispered dryly into Edward's ear.

Rolling his eyes at Liam, Kai bent down and kissed Caitlyn again, this time making it last longer as he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

"Okay, gross," Gem stuck out her tongue at them.

Caitlyn looked up, her cheeks tinged with pink from the kiss and from embarrassment at Liam and Gemma's comments.

Ignoring Gemma, Kai reached into the bag and pulled out his pewter ring. He passed it to Caitlyn, who stuck it on the ring finger of her right hand. "It's too big," she said with a giggle.

Edward stood up just as Kai bent down to kiss Caitlyn again. "I'm gonna go outside now," he announced loudly.

"Me too," Liam decided, standing up beside his friend. Gemma got up as well. "Count me in."

They began to walk off, leaving Haley to look after them with wide eyes. "Guys, don't leave me with Bonnie and Clyde. Guys, please. Guys! Guys?"

Oblivious to the rest of the world, Caitlyn collapsed into Kai's arms and rested her head onto his chest as he brushed the hair off of her forehead.

---

It was lunchtime at Bloor's, but Cara Silk had eaten an hour ago. She sat on a park bench, her grey Samsung practically glued to her ear as she spoke into it.

"Is Eric there?" she asked sweetly, and a feminine voice on the other end of the line went to go get him.

"Hello, Eric?" Cara spoke into the phone as he arrived. Bass tones echoed from the phone, confirming that it was him.

"Who is this?" he asked gruffly.

She smiled sweetly, despite the fact that he couldn't see her. "Cara Silk. Gabriel's widow."

"Cara!" he exclaimed. "Nice to talk to you again. It's been a few years."

"Eric, Eric," she chided him as if he were a small child. "Both of us know this won't be a pleasant talk. But Manfred needs you."

"Does he now?" replied Eric after a pause. "He didn't seem to need me a few years ago. If I recall correctly, he wanted me gone."

"Oh, come on now, dear," Cara said softly. "That's water under the bridge."

"Just because it's in the past doesn't mean it's been forgotten. Or forgiven," Eric said darkly.

Cara sighed, pulling her silk scarf even more tightly around her. Dealing with Eric could be so difficult at times. "Eric, Manfred needs you. You like the feeling of being needed, don't you?"

"If I help Manfred, I won't be needed anymore," Eric replied in his deep timbre.

Rolling her eyes, Cara leaned back on the bench. Why was this so hard? Eric really was stubborn, unless there was something in it for him. "You'll be rewarded. There's a battle coming and Manfred needs you. Don't forget what he did for you seven years ago. What side are you on, Eric? Theirs?"

"Of course not," Eric sounded indignant. "You know I'd never be on their side. What Manfred did for me seven years ago- I did owe him that debt, but I dropped it when we... fell out. But a reward- what reward?"

Cara paused, wondering how to play this. "Your niece."

He breathed out slowly. "She'd never come with me. Her mother would never agree to it."

"Her mother wouldn't have to know," Cara pointed out.

"There are papers and formalities to go through. Getting my niece isn't possible," Eric replied blackly.

"Unless she wanted to come with you," said Cara slowly. "We would approve and her mother would be powerless to stop it. Don't you want to see her again?"

"Yeah," mumbled Eric.

Cara smiled. "Good. So when can you be here?"

"I can make it to the city by seven o'clock if I leave in the next hour," he replied.

"I'll see you them," Cara told him.

"I better be able to see Leah," was the last thing Eric said before he hung up the phone with a soft click. Cara lowered hers, triumphant.

---

Kai and Caitlyn had arrived at the King's Room before everyone else and had managed to get seats beside each other. Caitlyn was positively ecstatic as she sat wrapped in his hoodie like a sardine. Part of her was extremely nervous- how should she act? Should she be really romantic? Should she almost ignore him in public? She was completely besotted and wanted to be with him everywhere, but would he like that?

Sure, Caitlyn had had two boyfriends before Kai, but she had never felt like this. Jonathon, a saxophone player who had gone to Bloor's before being he had moved to the States had been her first boyfriend, and they had lasted three months. He had been cute, sweet, and funny, but not as cute, sweet or funny as Kai was. Her second boyfriend had been Toby, a boy who went to a school in town. His eyes had been absolutely gorgeous, though not as gorgeous as Kai's eyes. They had dated for five months.

She was still in a state of disbelief about it all. She and Kai were _together_. Even thinking that sent chills down her spine. Sitting next to her, Kai wrapped his arm over her shoulder just as Patrick entered the room. He shot them both a dark look. Kai was about to say something in their defence when Patrick cut him off. "Just get your work done."

Jacob and Audrey entered the room next. She was leading him with her hand on his back, and he looked visibly upset at her presence. He turned his head and saw Kai with his arm around Caitlyn before turning away quickly.

Caitlyn remembered what Jacob had said yesterday about being gay, and she clutched Kai even tighter. She felt guilty as she did so- she wasn't worried about him 'taking her man', but the possessive instinct had kicked it.

Jacob, even if he had liked Kai a little, probably hadn't been expecting anything with Kai anyways, so it was alright. In fact, Jacob and Owen might even have made a pretty cute couple.

But Owen was still missing, and the thought brought her back to a harsh reality. No one had mentioned his absence, so the Bloor's must have had something to do with it. Owen…

The voice in the wall.

"Kai-" she began softly but stopped abruptly as a flame licked the side of her neck.

Patrick glared at her with his dark, beady eyes. "After what happened yesterday, do you really except me to let anyone talk in here again?" he asked, practically spitting.

Without looking up from his book, Ed put in his two cents. "You're talking," he pointed out mildly.

"Eddie, you really are funny," cooed Audrey, though she shot a dark look at Patrick as she did so. "Don't bother the grumpy man."

"I'm not a-" began Patrick, but he seemed to think better of it and closed his mouth in a firm line.

"Grumpy man," stuck in Jacob quickly, shooting Edward a triumphant glance before going back to his history work.

"Jake, is that the same history I'm working on?" asked Caitlyn, leaning around Kai to try to talk to him.

"If it's about the battle of Dieppe and why the loss was considered acceptable, yeah," replied Jacob, shoving his book over towards her.

"Enough," grumbled Dom, and his voice was so deep and menacing that they all turned to look at him.

Edward frowned. "Chill out, man."

"Chill out, man," sneered Dominic, imitating Edward's voice. The colour went to Edward's cheeks, and he looked like he was going to stand up angrily.

"Eddie, don't," chided Audrey, without looking up from her work.

A feeling of nausea, much like seasickness, swept over Edward. He nodded wearily and relaxed in his seat, trying to prevent himself from being lulled in by Audrey's fake niceness. Sighing, he went back to his work.

The rest of the study time passed relatively quickly, and Edward quickly packed his bag, in a hurry to escape from there. He left the door, nearly bumping into Haley, who was waiting outside.

"Autumn says it has nothing to do with the brain," Haley whispered quietly into his ear before quickly walking away.

Edward watched him go, completely puzzled.

---

While Caitlyn and Kai were off eating supper due to their detention, Edward and the rest of his friends were hoisting their bags over their shoulders and making their way to the enterance hall, to the tall doors beyond which freedom lay. The odd thing, though, was that on the way there, they had practically been accosted by Audrey as she slowed down their approach.

By the time they got to the doors, everyone was gone. Manfred and Harold Bloor stood in front of the doors, which were now firmly closed. Audrey stood in front of them, looking extremely smug. The hairs on the back of Edward's neck rose and he took a step back.

Behind him, Gemma rested warily. Haley was standing beside Leah and Autumn, who had also been trapped. Jacob was standing behind Gemma, a nervous expression on his face. There was an unspoken fear floating around them, each of them not wanting to voice what they all knew: they had been trapped inside.

Slowly, the Bloors began to advance. Edward's body tightened, and with a quick jerk of his head, he broke the silence. "Run."

They all took a few steps backwards before running, following Edward as he took the lead. They ran into the darkened school as the Bloors, their eyes flashing in the darkness, followed with slow steps, like a dark wave.

_Now the roof's on fire but it starts to rain  
So clench your fists and enjoy the pain_

---

Yay x3 Finally, another chapter!

**painted lights-** i try to update when i can -.- a lot of the times i just lose focus in the story and then come back to it. Sorry for being so slow xD but I do promise to finish it! :D Thanks for the review and have a Jacob plushie which blushes when you squeeze it. ftw either means fuck the world or for the win :)

**Dot-** Sorry I got you in trouble during class! XD And I wouldn't mind meeting a kindly old homeless that plays the banjo. Actually. c: And don't be too happy- Kai and Caitlyn's trouble isn't over yet. Here, you can have Audrey and Haley plushies. They don't do anything. You can just play with them. And make them do obsc- err, cute things.

**The Bunnies-** OMG YAY :DD superimpose them all you want!

**TLR-** yeah, i wasn't sure about having that KaiCaitlyn bit. BUT DON'T WORRY NO SECKS FOR THEM. :D (for now anyways :3) and thanks for the review c:

**ShadowRose-** Naw, I know fifteen year-olds who have had sex ._. a few actually. XD Lydia's just such a corrupting agent. OMG YOUR SOUL. HERE. HAVE A BANDAID. FIX IT. WOOHOO FOR SWEARING, RANDOMNESS, AND AWESOMENESS :D

_Chapter dedication is to Dot because I almost got her detention and The Bunnies because if she starts seeing my charries in the actual book that's win right there :D_

Love you all.

-Eagleh :D


End file.
